Heart's Home

by E. Davies

  At last, Logan couldn't resist trying to shift onto one hand to free his other hand up.

  “I've got it,” Hunter whispered, running his hand across Logan's stomach and up to his chest. He tweaked both nipples and played with them until the tip of Logan's cock was leaking with desire, then ran his hand down again to rub with his palm and finally stroke in earnest.

  Under this attention, Logan's breath soon hitched as his hips thrust into the hand and he came, coating the sheets and Hunter's hand with the juice of his desire. “F-Fuck, I-- yes... yes...!” He clenched hard around Hunter, his mind spinning and knees buckling until he was flat on the bed.

  Moments later, as soon as he unclenched, Hunter just lay flat down on him, his chest against his back and his lips to Logan's neck as he went to town on him for a minute more. Those hip thrusts were more erratic now, but just as hard and relentless. This time, he didn't pull out, either; Hunter buried himself deep in Logan, his hips twitching as he groaned and the condom caught his own come inside Logan's tight, still-twitching hole. Hunter's body blanketed Logan's until he went still, his breathing raspy but growing more even again and his cock softening.

  Logan hardly wanted him to, but Hunter finally drew out, rubbing Logan's back and side. “Jesus,” he whispered, the stinging and burning sensation finally returning now that the orgasm had stopped numbing the pain. It was no more than he could handle easily, though.

  “Are you feeling fine?” Hunter murmured back, stripping off his condom and flopping on his side.

  Logan nodded, rolling onto his side and pressing back into Hunter to be the inner spoon. “Perfect.”

  His partner chuckled and reached beneath them to pull the blanket around them, cocooning them as best he could. The warmth of Hunter's thighs against the stinging flesh felt like the perfect balm to those pleasurable marks.

  “Staying the night?” Logan murmured once they were breathing normally again. Since Hunter's arm was still over his side, his hand near Logan's chest, Logan slid his own hand up to cover it and interlace their fingers.

  “Yeah,” Hunter whispered, then audibly hesitated. “Unless you'd rather--”

  “Please do,” Logan reaffirmed. “I'd like you to.”

  Hunter chuckled quietly and kissed the back of Logan's neck. “Of course.”

  They didn't say anything more as they drifted to sleep, fingers lightly locked and limbs tangled together, still warm from their shared bliss.

  Chapter 13

  Hunter

  Judging by how long Logan slept in the next morning, he'd been working himself to the bone every day. No wonder the house was coming along so quickly. Hunter had ample time to get up and shower, finding his own way to Logan's small bathroom.

  The whole apartment was small compared to what he was used to, but he didn't complain. This was the kind of house the majority of people lived in... he just wasn't used to this kind of life. Growing up in a wealthy family before increasing his own wealth... well, money bred money, and it had never been more obvious than now.

  What was Logan's family like? Where did they live? He didn't see family portraits, but he did see some photos in frames around his living room of him with older adults that could have been his parents.

  When it was almost a decent hour, he made a few calls. The results satisfied him, so he headed back to the room and slipped back into bed, fully-clothed now, to wait for Logan to wake up.

  Logan stirred when the bed creaked under Hunter, slowly rolling onto his back and yawning before he rubbed an arm across his eyes. “Oh, s'morning already...”

  “It's almost afternoon,” Hunter teased, his voice low and quiet so as not to disturb Logan too much. That beautiful face... long, light lashes... cheeks that were round when he smiled... watchful eyes, sleepy right now...

  He'd been in the beds of many gorgeous men, but Logan's was the first he'd willingly crawled back into in a while.

  “Do you want breakfast?” Logan asked.

  Hunter chuckled. “You just woke up.”

  “I'm cooking breakfast,” Logan informed him anyway and slid out of bed, stretching as he grabbed some clothes from his dresser and padded across the worn wood floor towards the bathroom.

  “I... all right.”

  Hunter watched as Logan disappeared into the bathroom to get changed and ready for the day. He crawled out of bed again, stretching as he gazed around the bedroom.

  It was simply decorated with plain off-white walls, the color of all ugly apartments for rent. The light fixtures were tacky nipples, the windows looked creaky, and the floorboards were worn.

  Still, it was a cheap place, and Hunter guessed that Logan put his money elsewhere – like the community garden project and now his new home.

  I could bring him somewhere nicer. He loved my place.

  “Ready for breakfast?”

  He turned at the sound of Logan's voice and smiled, striding towards him to kiss him in the doorway. “Ready. We'll leave in about an hour for the inspection.”

  “Inspection? Oh, Christ, already?” The contentment on Logan's face had vanished in place of fear.

  Hunter chuckled, reaching out to pull Logan in for a kiss on his lips. “Stay calm. It'll go fine. You're not breaking any rules, are you?”

  “I might be,” Logan muttered. “This isn't exactly a conventional home.”

  “He might turn out to be familiar with sustainable, safe practices,” Hunter added, his hands on Logan's waist.

  “Doubtful. I've never met one yet who was.”

  “Miracles happen.”

  Logan pulled out of Hunter's grip and led him to the kitchen. “Sit at the table, I'll make breakfast,” he assured Hunter as he set about cooking pancakes, hash browns, and bacon.

  It was a simple, greasy breakfast, but Hunter found himself craving the sweet fluffy texture of pancakes, greasy bacon, and homestyle potatoes. Even he had eaten diner food before – granted, in dire circumstances, generally at a late hour to stave off a hangover after a party had run on too long. Besides, with Logan cooking, he couldn't say no even if it wasn't gourmet.

  When the plate was served, he found fruit on the pancakes, the hash browns homemade instead of neatly equally sized, and the bacon nowhere near as greasy as he'd had before, but he dug in and found himself surprised at how good each food item tasted.

  “Bet you were expecting gross hippie food, weren't you?” Logan teased.

  “Yeah,” Hunter laughed as he picked up his coffee mug. At least that was normal. Any coffee was acceptable to him as long as it was strong enough.

  “Well, it is, but you're eating fast.”

  Hunter rolled his eyes. “I might compromise on one or two statements I could make about it.”

  “Hey. No more breakfasts for you if you insult my cooking.”

  “That's fine,” Hunter grinned. “I'll just get my personal chef to come over and cook breakfast instead.”

  “Not if I won't let you,” Logan retorted, neatly finishing every bite on his plate. “I heard you do your own cooking.”

  “Sometimes,” Hunter nodded. “When I want to relax, I will. Sometimes I'm busy and I get Jean – my part-time chef – to do it.”

  I could just call Jean and get him to come over with serving platters already made up... and maybe a waiter. Picturing Logan opening the door to a spread of food and several neatly-uniformed men there to serve him breakfast was hilarious. Hunter was going to do it some morning soon.

  “Hey,” Logan snapped his fingers to get Hunter's attention. “Don't even think about it.” He was grinning, though. “At least ask me first.”

  “Fine,” Hunter chuckled and slid his knife and fork to the done position. He watched as Logan carelessly tossed his utensils down onto his own plate before gathering the dishes from the wrong side. Sometimes, the differences between them were stark.

  “Do we have time to make it to the meeting?” Logan asked, his voice finally serious again.

  “We're fine,” Hunter murmured.
“Get ready to go. I'll be in the car.”

  A breath of fresh air was all he needed as he stepped outside the apartment at last to walk to his car. He walked slowly, scanning the run-down neighborhood before looping around his car to walk around it from all angles and check for damage. None there, thankfully.

  By the time he'd settled down in the car and checked his emails on his phone, Logan was climbing into the passenger side. “How did your car get here? You took the bus to the meeting, didn't you?”

  “Yes. I asked one of my employees to drop it off for me here this morning,” Hunter answered, already distracted by pulling out into traffic.

  Logan shook his head. “Right. Of course. Your employees.”

  Where did that come from? Hunter figured he had a good enough idea. Logan didn't necessarily approve of most elements of his lifestyle, and vice versa.

  They were quiet for a few minutes as Hunter drove them through the morning traffic towards his neighborhood. He liked Halton Heights for its discretion and spaciousness, and for the rolling hills just below and the green space that was within a few minutes' walk.

  Soon, there would be just a little less green space. At least there wouldn't be a huge condo building with his ex spearheading the project. The thought made him grind his teeth.

  “It'll go fine, like you said,” Logan spoke up. He was watching Hunter, his eyes perceptive. “With you there, you said it has to...”

  Hunter nodded firmly. Logan had no idea just how right he was. “I'll make sure we get the approval.”

  As he pulled up to his house, Hunter hoped he was right. He'd always asked for permission and instantly received it, not built first and asked forgiveness later, like they were doing now.

  ***

  When the car door opened and the inspector stepped out at the building site half an hour later, Hunter sighed with sudden, complete relief.

  Richard Brown.

  He could work with this.

  “Well, look who it is,” Hunter grinned, reaching out to clap Rick on the back when the suited man stepped out of his shiny white car. They shook hands and slapped each other's backs as Rick took his appearance in. He'd chosen a neat, formal pair of slacks and collared shirt that looked expensive to impress whichever of the guys it turned out to be.

  “Hunter, you're looking well.”

  “I'm great, Rick. Lots of things keeping me busy as always. How's your father?”

  “Oh, same old as always. Out fishing this week.”

  Hunter laughed. “Hope he gets that big one at last.”

  Rick joined him in a laugh, then glanced over at Logan who was now standing awkwardly close by and waiting for them to finish talking. “Sorry. I'm Rick,” he introduced himself casually and reached out to shake hands.

  “Logan.”

  “I understand you have an interesting project going on together, you two? Want to tell me about it?” Rick glanced back at Hunter.

  Hunter shifted slightly but decided not to pass him off to Logan. He wanted to talk and keep Rick focused on who he was ultimately saying yes or no to – the man with the power to get his ass in hot water instantly.

  “It's a great little guest house, office, retreat... I can use it for all sorts of things,” Hunter nodded. “My house is the one right there,” he pointed up the hill towards the shadow of his back fence and hedgerow on the upper slope.

  “Oh! Great choice, this property.”

  “Thanks. It's a promising little spot. Lots of drainage already dug around here so the hill isn't a problem. Ideally, it would be on a hill, but... we didn't think about that before we came and built mansions up there,” Hunter laughed richly, making Rick join in the laugh.

  “Yes, of course, of course. Good.” Rick opened his clipboard and took short notes that mostly consisted of checkmarks. Hunter walked him around to show him the spot where the greenhouse would go, the vacation home frame, and the basic layout inside.

  Logan followed them for the first few minutes of conversation before giving up and sitting on the foundation of the house near the frame.

  By the time Rick was done, it was an easy hand-wave, a checkmark, and a form he handed over for Hunter to sign.

  “This will be just fine with me for a part-time residence,” Rick told Hunter. “I doubt anyone else will raise a commotion. The way it was reported to us, it sounded much more dangerous and... you know... more like a squatter trying to make a campsite out here,” he laughed.

  “Oh, ridiculous,” Hunter laughed along. “I bet that was Charlie, huh?”

  Rick was suddenly cautious. “Oh, we don't say who passed along information...”

  “I know it was him. It's fine,” Hunter waved a hand, clapping Rick's shoulder. “Don't blame you for doing your job.”

  “Come talk to us if you make it a full-time dwelling and I'll see how it's finished off,” Rick winked, shaking Hunter's hand enthusiastically. “Pleasure to meet you again.”

  “And you, too, Rick. Say hello to your father and Brian and... oh, all of them,” Hunter laughed, making Rick laugh, too. The two strolled to Rick's car together as they chatted, Logan remaining by the house.

  “I will. Good luck. Nice meeting you, Logan,” he said loudly.

  “B-Bye,” Logan called out in return, his voice hoarse for a moment from his tense silence over the last half-hour.

  Rick nodded again to Hunter before climbing into his car and starting it up to drive off.

  Hunter waved and watched him drive off, then walked back down the small clearing towards the path to the home. When Logan came into sight, his arms were folded, his expression dark.

  This reaction confused Hunter. They'd just gotten the permission they needed. Why was he suddenly unhappy about that?

  “We're fine,” Hunter said as if to emphasize his point. “The dwelling is fine part-time, and it sounds like he'll shoo in the changes as soon as it's done and they can see it's safe and well-made.”

  “That was fucking disgusting,” Logan whispered, and as Hunter reached out to touch his arm, he twitched away slightly.

  “I... what was?” Hunter frowned.

  “Is that how all officials treat you?”

  Ah. Hunter nodded calmly. He wasn't going to apologize for having influence or using it in the right way today.

  Logan drew a breath and let it out. “You were wrong, by the way.”

  “What?”

  “When you explained the floor insulation. It's not-- never mind.” Logan chuckled quietly, pushing himself away from the front door frame he was leaning against. “I guess that doesn't matter.”

  “Sorry. I didn't want him to get distracted by...” Hunter trailed off.

  Logan winced. “Me?”

  “Yeah. I mean, you know...” Logan was smart, passionate, engaged, and well-known as an activist and environmental nutcase in certain circles. The best Rick could say of Logan today was that at least he hadn't been in charge.

  “Oh, and I can't tent out here. They'll have a problem with that as soon as someone spots me,” Logan told him with a sharp frown. “But I need to give up my apartment by the end of the month.”

  “Move in with me.” Hunter was barely aware of what he was saying before he suggested it.

  “I... what?”

  Oh, shit. Don't scare him off. They'd only just spent the night together. Suggesting that he move in was ridiculous. It meant a lot more to Logan than it would to Hunter. Hunter had enough extra space in his home that nothing much would change in his routine – just one of his extra bedrooms would be in use, he'd tell his chef to double the meal sizes, and he'd figure out a place for Logan to chain up his bike without looking tacky.

  But to Logan...

  “I don't want you to give up your independence or anything like that,” Hunter assured him. “It's just an offer, since this home still needs insulation,” he gestured at the bales of straw. “And walls, for that matter... furniture... solar panels for electricity... I'll be in London again to wrap up the meetings a
nd turn down that offer.”

  Logan's expression cleared. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Hunter repeated. It was his turn to be surprised. The man had been stubborn at every turn, making him work for every ounce of approval he'd earned from him – and fuck, he'd never had to do that before, but he found himself wanting to now.

  “I'll think about it. After you take me on that date.”

  Shit. The initial plan had been to get him in the same place as Charlie that weekend, but... he didn't want to share what they had anymore. It wasn't about Logan being a hot young trophy to rub in that smug bastard's face now. Somehow, it had turned into more.

  He wasn't going to use Logan. Not after all this... all they'd shared over the past two weeks.

  “Tonight?” Hunter suggested, catching Logan's eyes and slowly smiling at him in the way he knew melted most men's hearts (and pants).

  Even Logan paused for a moment, his charms finally working. Those pretty light lashes opened up wider as he took in Hunter before nodding. “Tonight's fine.”

  “What the fuck do you two think you're up to?”

  The voice sent a sick chill down Hunter's spine. He placed it before he even looked: Charlie.

  “I think the real question is, what are you doing here?” he answered coolly, turning and folding his arms across his chest as he drew himself to his full height.

  “I heard about the decision.”

  “I bet you did,” Hunter smirked, taking in that broad-shouldered, red-faced man who had just walked from the road directly to find them. “Great news for us.”

  “What, you're not bored of him sucking your dick yet?” Charlie spat out, jerking his head towards Logan as he stared intently at Hunter, his eyes stormy.

  “Nope,” Hunter gave a sunny smile in return, deciding to turn on his deliberate annoying charm.

  Charlie scoffed. “It's obvious what you're doing. I'm going to block every proposal you make. I'll make sure they know there's objections to any further changes in the land use.”

  “I'm sure you said something important in there, but I didn't hear it,” Hunter told him. “Can you repeat whatever it was?”

  “You're a scumbag bastard. What's the difference between what you're doing with this shitty forest and what I would have done?”