Trust (Temptation #3)

by Ella Frank

  “Of course,” Logan said. “That’s the only way to take a bath, isn’t it?”

  “How would you know, since you’ve never had one?”

  Logan’s lips twitched as he looked from the tub back to him. “I watch TV?”

  “Mhmm. And what kind of bubble bath is it?”

  Logan gave a small shrug and helped him over to the sink, where Tate rested against the vanity. “I don’t know. Lavender or some shit. The woman told me it was soothing.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yep, she sure did,” Logan said, examining the sling strapped around his shoulder. “So the doc said we could take it off for a little and then put it back on, right?”

  Tate nodded. “Right.”

  “And you feel okay? You don’t need to lie down?”

  “Logan?”

  Logan brought his worried eyes back to his.

  “I feel fine. And I’d love a bath. Thank you.”

  “Okay,” Logan answered, tapping his fingers against his lips in concentration. “We should take off your clothes, then.”

  Finding Logan’s nerves endearing, Tate waited to see what he would do next, and when he didn’t move, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  “You sure? Because I can do this later. By myself.” He didn’t want Logan uncomfortable in any way, and if helping him take a bath crossed too many lines—

  “No. That’s not it. I…” Logan sighed. “It’s stupid.”

  “Tell me,” he coaxed.

  Logan looked at the bath, a sheepish expression crossing his face. “I don’t want to hurt you. That’s all.”

  Tate took Logan’s hand, and when their fingers touched, Logan faced him. It was high time to lighten the mood around them, and why not start here? He couldn’t imagine the stress Logan had been under for the last month and a half, and as he stood in front of him, exposing his most vulnerable side, it just made Tate love him even more.

  “How about we make this fun and concentrate less on all these ugly bruises and scars. I know something you never can say no to. Truth or dare,” he suggested with a flirty wink.

  Logan let his eyes run down over him, one of his eyebrows winging up. “Hardly fair considering I’d be the one doing all the dares.”

  “Not necessarily,” Tate disagreed. “Who said a dare has to be something you do. It could be something said, something promised in the future… You’re smart. You get the idea.”

  Logan’s full lips came together as he mulled it over. Then the usual spark that filled his eyes was back. “Okay, I’m game.”

  “I’m glad. I would’ve been disappointed if you’d said no.”

  “How disappointed?”

  “You’ll never know. But since I thought of this, it’s only fair that I go first.”

  Logan scoffed at his deductive reasoning, but then he raised his hand and crooked his fingers in a gesture that screamed, Bring it.

  “Truth or dare?” Tate asked.

  Of course, the first choice out of Logan’s mouth was, “Dare.”

  Tate wondered what Logan thought he would ask. Probably something outrageous, maybe something sexual. “I dare you to stop thinking about how I looked weeks ago and start looking at me standing here and now.”

  * * *

  Well, okay, then, Logan thought as Tate’s words penetrated his brain. Not what I expected. “And how am I looking at you?”

  “Like I’m still hooked up to—”

  “Two breathing machines, a heart monitor, and around ten different IVs?” As Logan relayed the picture that would forever be imprinted in his mind, he took a step closer to Tate so their bare toes were touching.

  “Yes,” Tate said. “Exactly like that.”

  Logan reached for the buckle of the strap holding Tate’s shoulder brace secure. After he gently unfastened it and slipped it from his arm, he placed it on the sink beside him and then fingered the red shirt Tate was wearing. “I don’t know that I can do that.”

  Tate’s hand covered his as he started to undo the top button. “I dare you to try.”

  Logan’s lips curved at Tate’s choice of words. “Talk about coming full circle.”

  “Mhmm. Come to think of it, I seem to remember a time in your bathroom just like this.”

  “Ahh, yes,” Logan said with a sigh, slipping the first two buttons free. “But I was a lot more naked, and you were a lot more nervous.”

  “That’s because I wasn’t sure about you.”

  “And now?” he asked, and when he stopped what he was doing and waited for his answer, Tate looked surprised.

  “Truth?”

  Logan tugged on his shirt and gave a mock glare. “Of course. That’s the game, isn’t it?”

  When Tate captured his lips, Logan’s automatically parted. The feel and taste of Tate made him moan softly as Tate traced his tongue along his lower lip.

  He said, “I’ve never been more sure of another person in all my life.”

  Logan’s hands clutched Tate’s shirt as he whispered his name reverently, and while they stood there in silence, the understanding of just how much they meant to one another was solidified.

  “It’s your turn,” Tate said against his lips, finally breaking the connection.

  Logan walked around behind him and helped him remove his shirt, and when he dropped it on the counter, he said in Tate’s ear, “Dare.”

  Tate glanced back at him and gave that pearly grin he’d fallen for. “I dare you to get in the bath with me and smell like a lavender field for the next twenty-four hours.”

  Logan laughed at that, looking down at the tub before returning his gaze to Tate’s. “I don’t know. Do you think you can behave yourself?”

  “Me?” Tate asked like he thought the question was absurd.

  “Yes, you,” he stressed, enjoying Tate’s incredulity. He came around in front of him to undo the button of Tate’s jeans, and as he slid the zipper down, he continued to talk. “The doctor said there was to be no…” When his words trailed off, Tate the tease came out to play.

  “No?”

  Logan narrowed his eyes on him and ended with, “No strenuous activity until you pass all the tests at your follow-up appointment and all the boxes are ticked.”

  The amusement stamped over Tate’s face had Logan wondering how he’d managed to turn the tables on him. No one ever got the better of him—well, no one except for Tate.

  Rolling his shoulders, Logan heard himself asking in a much more irked voice than he’d intended, “Is something amusing you?”

  Tate clamped his lips shut and shook his head. “Nope. You going to take my pants off now, or do you think I should keep them on so I’m not tempted to do anything…strenuous?”

  Logan slipped his fingers inside the waist of Tate’s jeans. Then he mumbled, “Sure, laugh it up,” as he crouched down, taking the denim and boxers with him.

  When he was at Tate’s feet, he sized up his naked body and was more than satisfied with the healing progress he was making. The horrendous bruising that had discolored Tate’s ribs was starting to fade, and the incision where the tube had been was almost healed.

  As he let his eyes continue up to the ones staring down at him, Logan tapped Tate’s ankle. “Lift.”

  Tate lifted, and as Logan pulled the pants away and repeated the move with the other, he asked him, “Truth or dare?”

  As he stood and faced Tate, who was now completely naked, he shocked him by saying, “Dare.”

  * * *

  Tate didn’t take his eyes off Logan as he continued to carefully study him. When Logan looked up at him from his feet and his eyes zeroed in on his bruises, he wondered what he was thinking. Would he ever see him the way he used to? Enter my stupid decision of a dare.

  Really, when it came to Logan he should’ve known better. The guy would always find a way to come out ahead of the game, and of course, he managed to pick the most difficult of things—even when on the surface, it appeared to be the e
asiest.

  “I dare you to keep your eyes open, and on my face, when I take off all my clothes.”

  That arrogant ass, Tate thought as he looked over Logan.

  Considering that this was the first time they’d been truly alone for close to two months, that particular request seemed like the most impossible thing Logan could’ve asked.

  But Tate was determined. He was the one who’d started this, and he’d be damned if he cracked first. “Easy.”

  “So confident,” Logan said as he reached down and drew his shirt over his head.

  Tate swallowed and watched him toss it on the counter.

  “Should I tell you what I’m doing?” Logan asked, lowering his eyes over him. “Oh, would you look at that. I don’t think you need me to tell you. You’re imagining it all on your own.”

  Tate shut his eyes, but Logan was quick to say, “Uh ah, no cheating. Eyes open, Tate.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Logan removed his boxers and jeans, and when he was standing back up, he took a step toward him and grinned. “That is exactly the kind of strenuous activity I was referring to. See? You are the one who needs to behave himself.”

  Tate grit his teeth as he continued to look Logan in the eye. This close, he could see the dark flecks of blue around his pupils. He really did have the most amazing eyes Tate had ever seen.

  “I did it,” he answered stubbornly.

  “Yes, you did. So I believe it’s your turn.”

  Tate let his eyes rove all over Logan, soaking in the sight before him. He was fucking beautiful, and Tate wanted to touch him. But the game was not over yet, so he asked, “Truth or dare?”

  And quick as a flash, Logan answered, “Truth.”

  “Will you ever see me the way you did before?”

  Tate held his breath as Logan’s eyes darkened. He hadn’t realized how important this question was to him. But ever since he’d woken up, Logan had acted…perfect. He’d handled him with the utmost care, and as he raised his hands to cup his cheeks, Tate discovered he was scared. Scared that Logan would forever see him as damaged.

  “No,” Logan finally said, and Tate felt his heart sink. “I’ll never see you that way again. Because before this, I didn’t know you were essential for me to feel alive.”

  Tate let out the breath he’d been holding and brought his hands up to cover Logan’s as they stood there in the bathroom—stripped of their clothes and baring their souls.

  He closed his eyes when Logan’s lips caressed his in a kiss so sweet that Tate’s toes curled against the tile floor. Then Logan’s mouth curved and he said, “But don’t think for a minute I’m not counting the hours until that follow-up visit. However, until then, you’re off-limits. So quit being so fucking sexy, okay?”

  Tate’s laugh rumbled out of his throat, and Logan released him to walk over to the tub. He held a hand out for him to use and steady himself, and as Tate climbed in, he groaned. The hot water felt amazing.

  Logan stepped in behind him, sat with his back against the tub, and invited him with a crook of his finger to sit down between his legs. “Come here.”

  He should’ve looked ridiculous amongst the mountains of bubbles, but as Logan smiled up at him, Tate thought he looked incredibly inviting.

  Carefully, he lowered himself down and nestled between Logan’s thighs. As he rested his head against Logan’s shoulder, he felt him twine his legs over his. Then Tate closed his eyes, luxuriating in the safety of the body surrounding his.

  Maybe he did like being looked after a little. He just wanted to know that Logan was aware that he was the same person he’d always been.

  “Logan?”

  “Hmm?”

  “It’s your turn to ask,” he said, arching his head toward the fingers Logan was threading through his hair.

  “Truth or dare?” Logan asked and then kissed his temple.

  Tate licked the condensation off his lips and replied, “Truth.”

  The silence that settled around them was comfortable and felt as warm as Logan’s embrace—until Tate heard the question.

  “If you told me yes today, would it be because you think you have to or because you want to?”

  Tate’s eyes opened, and he grasped the side of the tub with his left hand, pulling himself up so he could turn. He knew exactly what Logan was asking, and as he looked at him, his black hair slicked back from his face, Logan’s eyes held his in a bold-as-hell stare. Logan wanted this answer, and he wasn’t going to be put off.

  Tate maneuvered himself as close as he could get to Logan in their positions and said just as boldly, “I wanted to and should’ve said yes the first time you asked. I didn’t because I wanted to be able to give you something in return.”

  Logan started to speak, but Tate placed his wet finger over his lips. “Shh. This is my truth, remember?”

  Logan silently inclined his head, and Tate continued.

  “I want to say yes right now, but I don’t think you’d believe me. Not in here,” he said, moving his fingers down to Logan’s heart. “I think you’d always wonder. So it’s my turn to wait. Two, three days… Hell, Logan, I’ll wait forever. But my answer will never change. So when you’re ready to really hear me, ask. And I’ll tell you.”

  Logan didn’t say a word, continuing to hold his gaze until Tate decided he should let him off the hook and then turned around to settle back against him.

  He understood Logan’s showing caution—he didn’t want a decision from someone who was feeling vulnerable and needy. He wanted it from a man who was strong and sure of himself.

  I’ll get better, prove to him that I’m the same—

  “Tate?” Logan’s voice cut into his thoughts.

  “Yeah?”

  He felt warm lips by his ear as Logan carefully wrapped his arms around him and asked, “Will you move in with me? I don’t even care where. I’ve waited long enough, and I don’t want to wait another second.”

  Tate turned his head, and as Logan looked down at him expectantly, he simply said, “Yes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, Logan stood at the foot of his bed and tightened the knot in his tie. Tate was silently watching him from where he was lying with two pillows propped up behind him, and Logan had to fight the urge to climb back in beside him and call in one last day.

  “Okay, I put my numbers on the side table next to you. There’s the main office, Sherry’s desk, my direct number, and my—”

  “Logan,” Tate interrupted with a grin.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll be fine. I have your number in my cell. If I need anything, I’ll call.”

  Logan dropped his hands to his sides and came around to sit on the bed. He took Tate’s fingers in his hand and rolled his eyes at himself. “I’m acting like a moron, aren’t I?”

  “No,” Tate laughed. “You’re acting like you care.”

  He sighed, leaning forward to rub his smooth cheek along Tate’s stubbled one. “Of course I care. And I want to know that you have every way imaginable to reach me if you need to.”

  “You’re only going in for half a day,” Tate reminded him.

  “So? A lot can happen in four hours.”

  Tate turned his head, and when their eyes met, he said, “I’m going to get up, eat breakfast, and then watch some TV. Then I’m going to get in the cab you’re insisting I take to meet you for lunch.”

  “Good,” Logan said. “And then we’re going to—”

  “Cancel my lease.”

  Logan kissed his lips and then lightly nipped his bottom one. “See, that sounds like the perfect day.”

  “Of course it does, bossy.”

  “And?” Logan challenged.

  Tate pulled his fingers away so he could touch his cheek. “And nothing. I kind of like you bossy.”

  “Do you?”

  “Sometimes,” Tate was quick to add.

  “I’ll have to remember that. For later.”

  “You do that. No
w, go to work. Otherwise they’re going to think you quit.”

  Logan got off the bed and walked to his closet. As he shrugged into his jacket, he looked back at Tate and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay about moving in here? I don’t mind if we look—”

  Tate started to laugh then—really laugh.

  “Okay,” Logan stressed, knowing he was acting like a nervous shit. “I get it. You said yes. You meant yes. I’m going now.”

  He made his way to the bedroom door but stopped when Tate said his name.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t forget to wear a scarf and coat. Weather said it was going to be icy this morning.”

  A wide grin split Logan’s lips and he nodded. “Yes, dear.”

  “Oh, and Logan?”

  Logan cocked his head to the side. “Hmm?”

  “Love you.”

  Damn, Logan thought. Every time he says it, my heart just about stops.

  “I love you too. See you at one, Tate. Don’t make me wait.”

  * * *

  An hour later, Tate had already received two phone calls and one text from Logan. All under the guise of forgetting something when it was more than obvious he was checking up on him. It was cute, but he knew that if he said that, Logan would go from concerned to annoyed in the blink of an eye.

  What had he once told him? Oh yeah. Puppies were cute. Not him.

  Tate was still grinning over the last text when the intercom in the condo buzzed. Not expecting anyone, he made his way over to it and hit the answer button.

  “Good morning, Mr. Morrison.”

  The fact that the doorman knew his name was the first shock Tate got.

  The second came when he told him, “I have a man down here who says he’s your father. Can I let him up?”

  Tate stared at the black box in front of him and felt his hand start shaking.

  How the hell did he know where to find me?

  Things had been tense after he’d woken up at the hospital. His mother had refused to come into the room while Logan was there, so that pretty much meant that, from the moment he’d woken to when he’d been released, he’d seen his parents twice. And each time had resulted in close to radio silence.