by David Horne
I let out a long sigh because I knew he was right. Carter wasn’t going to just let me disappear. So that meant I truly needed to get over my feelings for him. I needed to move on and find someone who would actually love me back the way I need them too. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend, because regardless of my dumb romantic feelings, he was the best friend I’d ever had.
“Okay, fine. You’re right.”
“It’s best that you realize it now, I’m always right.”
We fell silent again and the tension in the air was thick. This was all so weird to me but something Sawyer had said in the kitchen had stuck with me. I could have just let it be, but I needed to clear the air with him.
“When I first saw you, I thought you looked like him,” I began and heard Sawyer take in a deep breath. “I told myself it was the last time I’d do this. Find some nameless guy that looked enough like Carter that I could pretend. But then…” I trailed off, unsure of how this was going to come off to him.
“And then what?”
My palms began to get a bit damp and I rubbed them across the top of my jeans. My throat suddenly felt dry and I was questioning if I should keep going.
“Logan… then what?”
I glanced at him to find his hands clenched tight on the steering wheel as if he truly wanted to hear what I had to say.
“Then I kissed you. I kissed you and there was no way for me to mistake who I was kissing. The way you kissed me… it made me want to stay in the moment. It made me want to remember who I was with that night. So no, I didn’t think of him when I was with you Sawyer. I didn’t know your name but that entire night, it was just you.”
Sawyer let out a long sigh and his fingers loosened on the steering wheel. I watched him nod and then a grin appeared on his face.
“I’m that good of a kisser, huh?”
And just like that, things were okay between us.
Chapter Six
Sawyer
I liked him. Stupid fucking Logan and his smile. Honestly, all we’d done was walk into Target and there was a display of Santa hats and beards. I hadn’t expected the idiot to grab them and put them on. I definitely did not expect him to walk around the remainder of our trip deepening his already deep voice and doing a perfect Santa impersonation. He was the definition of a goofball. And I had a weakness for funny men. They were my Achilles heel and here Logan was, showing me that not only was he sexy and gorgeous as hell but he was funny. He bore no shame as people walked by and looked at him funny. He was himself and he was happy with that which made me happy.
I ignored the stupid fluttery feeling in my chest as we’d walked around the store. We hadn’t really needed anything but ended up picking up a few things anyway.
We were in the underwear section for God only knows what and Logan was holding up a pair a briefs and examining them as if they held all of life’s questions. His head was tilted to the side as he gnawed at his beautiful, plump, bottom lip. I nearly walked over to him and took the lip out of his mouth with my own teeth. But I was a grown man and should be able to make adult decisions like not trying to make out with my brother’s best friend while we stood in the underwear section at Target.
“You’ve seen in me in my underwear. Do you think I could pull these off?”
I groaned as I thought back to Logan in his tight briefs before I’d slid them off with my teeth.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” I accused as I glanced over his body. Sure, he was layered up due to the winter weather, but I could still vividly remember the hot body underneath and I really liked what was underneath.
Logan’s eyes went wide and tilted his head to the side. He was the picture of innocence, but I knew better. “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean, we’re going on vacation. I assumed that meant buying vacation underwear.”
“Vacation underwear?” I said while trying to fight a smile which was difficult considering he was so damn cute.
“Dude, everyone knows you buy new underwear when you go on vacation.”
“Do they now?” My grin appeared of it’s on volition, which I couldn’t be mad about.
“Yes, it’s a thing. Now, tell me, do you think these will look good on me?”
I glanced at them again and pictured them on Logan’s sexy body. That was a mistake because my dick was starting to react to the thought of Logan in those tight briefs. The fact we were sharing a room and that I’d likely get to see him wearing them was the reason I shamelessly made my decision.
“Get the underwear.”
Logan disappeared upstairs when we returned, and Carter was in my face the second he was out of ear shot.
“Want to tell me what that was about earlier? What did you say to him to make him look so… heartbroken?”
I sighed while trying to come up with an answer. I really hadn’t expected Logan to react so badly to what I’d said to him and I definitely didn’t expect him to bow out of the vacation. My mom would have wrung my neck if she’d thought I’d run Logan off.
Mom was easy to forget, Carter, not so much. I couldn’t tell him the truth without ratting on Logan. Then again, I wondered if my brother was aware of Logan’s feelings for him and he was just ignoring them. Carter isn’t the type to lead anyone on or give them false hope. If he knew Logan had feelings for him, he probably would have brought it up and let the poor guy down which meant my brother was oblivious as hell and I didn’t understand how. Doesn’t he see the way Logan looks at him. It’s like Carter hung the moon or something. The guy was obviously lovesick, but it seemed I was the only one who noticed it.
“Sawyer,” Carter said drawing my attention back to him. “What did you do?”
I lied. “I hit on him and it made him uncomfortable. Mom isn’t being very subtle about us getting to know each other and I figured I’d give it a shot. He wasn’t going for it.”
Carter let out a long sigh before he shook his head. “That makes sense. Mom is being a bit pushy. Should we say something? Let her know she’s upsetting Logan? I don’t want things to be weird between everyone. But truly, I think you two could get along great if you got to know each other.”
There was a glint in his eye that I’d never seen before and I was a bit surprised by what I was seeing in it.
“Wait… are you in on this with Mom?” I asked in complete shock.
Carter sighed again and glanced up the steps as if to check if anyone was coming before he met my gaze again. He looked almost guilty.
“Holy shit,” I began but he held up a hand.
“Just hear me out, okay? Logan is a great guy. The best honestly but he doesn’t see it. So, he avoids dating or getting close to anyone because he doesn’t believe he’s worth it. But he is. I know he is, but he doesn’t believe me.” Carter’s eyes looked so sad as he said this that it nearly broke my heart. It was clear my little brother thought the world of Logan and meant every word he was saying.
“We know you don’t date,” he began, and I felt my spine stiffen. “And I know we don’t talk about why,” he continued as he gave me a pointed stare. “But I figured you’d meet Logan and well… maybe you two would hit it off. You have more in common than you think. I slipped and mentioned it to mom, and she was all over it. At least I know I was right if you tried hitting on him.”
I fought a smile as images of Logan above me flashed in my mind. My hitting on Logan had worked out beautifully and I wouldn’t mind a repeat but first we had to get him over his crush on my brother.
“Glad to have your approval,” I said with a wing and Carter shook his head, fighting a grin of his own.
“Just go easy on him, okay. Even if you don’t want to date. I still think you’d be good friends and he could use some more good friends. I mean, you’ll never be a better friend than me but second isn’t always bad.”
I barked out a laugh as I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him into me. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around my back and gave a tight squeeze, th
e squeeze matching the feeling in my heart.
“Missed you, dude,” he whispered, and I held on tighter because man, I was a lucky bastard. I had a family who loved me, and I’d stayed away, not telling the real reasons behind it and yet they knew anyway and didn’t hold it against me.
“Missed you too,” I replied and ignored the choked up feeling in my throat. We held on for a little while longer before Carter let go and stepped away.
“I’m gonna head out, Kimberly is picking out bathing suits and I want to be there when she tries them on.” He waggled his brows and I laughed as he walked toward the door to grab his coat. “Tell Logan, we’ll hang later.” And with that, he walked out the door.
I grinned after him, because he seemed different from the last time I was home. He seemed more at ease and that gave me comfort, knowing he was comfortable and possibly happy.
When dinner rolled around, Logan finally came from upstairs. His hair was a disheveled mess on top of his head as if he’d been sleeping. When I took in his still heavy-lidded eyes, I realized that’s exactly what he’d been doing. I didn’t get the chance to see what he looked like after waking up from a good sleep because he’d left the hotel before I could. And as I took him in, I realized that I would have happily stared at his sleepy face. It was a good face.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” I said, and he turned his sleepy eyes on me. Yes, definitely a good face.
“Hey,” he grumbled, voice still hoarse from sleep. He moved over to the couch where I was sitting and flopped down next to me. I instinctively put my arm around the back of the chair and ran my fingers through his messy hair. It was incredibly soft and felt like silk running over my fingers.
He groaned as I began massaging his scalp. His head tilted backwards, and I really began working my fingers. The sounds he began making were so damn sensual, I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning myself.
“Like that?” I whispered in his ear and felt his entire body tremble.
“Yeah,” he whispered back; his voice hoarser than it was. My dick jumped and I almost palmed it to calm it down. Instead I leaned in closer and sucked Logan’s earlobe between my lips. My tongue danced with the edge and his breath hitched.
“What are you doing?” he growled but didn’t move away.
“Just tasting the parts of you I wasn’t able too at the hotel.”
Logan made a choked noise before he bolted off the couch. He turned away quickly but not quick enough for me to miss the tent growing in his pants.
“Need to go wash my hands, smells like dinner is almost done,” he said as he bolted from the room. Carter came in at the same time to see Logan running away. He gave me a pointed look and I shrugged. Logan was clearly skittish about his sexual attraction toward me. I could imagine it was difficult for him to be attracted to two brothers but if I had my way, by the end of this vacation, it’d be down to one; me.
Chapter Seven
Logan
The past few days had been a test to my strength because Sawyer had been testing it on a regular basis. At first, I tried to ignore the way he’d get me worked up, but it was nearly impossible when he’d walk by my bedroom door in noting but a towel, or a pair of low-slung sweatpants. The man was sex on legs, and I wanted to eat him alive. I was pretty sure he knew it too, the cheeky bastard.
The night before we were set to leave, he came into my room while I was packing wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts that hung low on his hips, revealing the sexy as hell indentions leading to what I knew was a very impressive package.
“Do these look good on me?” he asked with a smirk and I cursed myself for flirting with him while we were in Target. But there was something about this man that had me tangled up in knots. One moment I wanted to be as far away from him as I could get and in the next, I’d want to see how far I could get under his skin. I wanted him but at the same time it felt wrong. He was Carter’s brother and Carter was my… friend. Carter was my friend and I needed to remember that. He’d been witness to Sawyer’s flirting and didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it.
Just this morning we were piling into the Uber we’d called, and Sawyer had insisted on sitting next to me in the last row of SUV. Carter had looked at us and Sawyer slid in closer than necessary. What he hadn’t seen was Sawyer placing his hand very high on my thigh, inches from my dick.
I’d swatted it away which only caused him to grin. Carter had only looked between us and smiled, almost like he was happy that Sawyer was flirting with me. It shouldn’t have stung the way it did considering I knew Carter would never see me that way but still… it hurt.
“You’re going to give yourself premature wrinkles if you keep frowning like that.” Sawyer whispered in my ear. “Trust me, I’m a doctor.” I turned to glare at him, and he was grinning wildly. I hated how handsome he was, it made it almost impossible to genuinely hate him, especially when he smiled like that.
We arrived at the airport and got through customs pretty easily. I was eager and excited. I’d never gone out of the country before, so I was a bit anxious about it. I was certain it would be my last bit of freedom before medical school and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. Even if that meant watching Carter with Kimberly.
Kimberly had hugged me when she met me. “Carter talks about you all the time. It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” she’d said, her smile wide, and genuine. She was a nice woman and she looked at Carter as if he’d painted the stars in the sky. I knew that look; it was a look I’d often caught myself making. She was very much in love with him and seeing it person was a bit of a shock to my system, but only because Carter had looked at her the same way. It was a look, I knew he’d never give me, at least not romantically. It was a hard realization to face but it really put into perspective how stupid I was being about my feelings for Carter. I’d always love him; it was impossible not to love him but being in love with him was no longer an option. I needed to let it go.
“You’re still frowning.” Sawyer said as we sat down.
I looked over at him and glared. “Well, I have a very annoying man who doesn’t seem to want to leave me alone, I’d imagine anyone would frown at that.”
Sawyer’s smile widened before he leaned in close, so close that his lips grazed my cheek and I shivered. I cursed myself for letting him see he affected me, but it was impossible. Sawyer was the sexiest man I’d ever seen and even if he was only teasing, I had to admit I liked the attention he gave me. I already knew he was attracted to me; he’d said as much the night we’d hooked up. But he could have pretended it never happened but instead he chose to remind me of it every chance he got.
“Annoying, you say?” he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. “I like to see it as persistent. You have something I want Logan and I’m a patient man. I can wait until you give it to me.” The tip if his tongue slid against my ear and I bit back a groan at how amazing it felt.
“You’re asking for trouble,” I growled, and he chuckled in my ear. It was deep and full of sexual desire. It sent chills over my body.
“I think you know that I like your brand of trouble Doctor Oliver.”
My dick perked up at him calling me doctor. Never in a million years did I think that would be my kink, but I’d be damned if it didn’t do it for me. I was getting riled up and Sawyer was to blame.
“I’m going to wreck you,” I growled low and turned to meet his gaze. “You’re asking for it Sawyer and you’re going to take it in whatever way I give it to you.”
Sawyers eyes turned molted as he leaned forward, lips centimeters from mine as he breathed, “I can take whatever you give me. I’m sure you remember how well we fit together.”
I moved in that last centimeter to taste his lips before we were interrupted.
“Oh my God, are you guys making out?” Carter said before the sounds of fake gagging met my ears. Sawyer’s eyes danced with mischief before he turned to Carter who was staring at us. But he didn’t look disgusted. No, far from it. He looke
d delighted. He glanced between Sawyer and the smile grew. “Wow, it’s not even Christmas yet but I guess the holidays really do bring out the passion in people.”
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Sawyer only laughed before he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“He’s playing hard to get but I’m wearing him down.”
“Dude,” I said, and Sawyer grinned. “Stop before your mom hears. She’s probably already planning our wedding, don’t encourage her.”
At the mention of the word wedding, Sawyer’s arm slipped from around me and his playful demeanor disappeared. His bright eyes began to dim, and his smile faded.
“What did I say?” I asked as I glanced at Carter who looked sad. He glanced at me and gave me a smile before he glanced down at Kimberly who too looked sad.
“Why don’t you guys go get a coffee,” Carter said before he glanced at me. I could take a hint, he needed to talk to his brother, and I needed to not be present. So, I glanced at Sawyers shut down expression and did something unexpected, I leaned in and pressed a small kiss to his lips. He sighed as our lips touched and I felt a surge of satisfaction when he moved his lips to press against mine.
I moved away and met his gaze and was happy to see the light back in his eyes. “Be back soon,” I told him before I got up and followed Kimberly to the coffee stand. I could feel Sawyer’s eyes on me the entire time.
Chapter Eight
Sawyer
I watched Logan walk away and cursed myself for reacting the way I did. It wasn’t his fault he’d set off a trigger. How could he have known? Not many people did, unless you were from my hometown.
“So, I take it things have changed over the last few days if that kiss is anything to go buy,” Carter said as he took the seat Logan had been occupying.