When it settled, Nate spread his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear. “We got ourselves a bonfire.”
Logan’s hand rested on the small of my back, and his other held two beers for us. “We’re coming. Where’s Sam?”
Nate waved at the house. “Mason was awake when we got home, so she went with him.”
“You want anything to eat?”
I glanced up. Food hadn’t entered my mind all night, but at Logan’s question, I realized I was ravenous. “Yes, please,” I told him. “Can I help with something?”
He nodded in Nate’s direction. “Head on down. There are blankets down there and more beer, if you need either. Nate will set you up.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make some food for us. Be down in a few.”
It felt a little weird. I associated bonfires with party atmospheres. With only a few people, it seemed intimate. Nate was rummaging in a storage bin a few feet from the bonfire. I didn’t want to feel an intimate vibe with him. Logan now represented my comfort zone, and that in itself should’ve been an alarm signal. Instead, I focused on making it until he returned..
“Hey,” Nate said as I approached. “Blankets are in here if you get cold.”
I looked at the raging fire. “Don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
He laughed, sitting down on one of the benches. “Yeah, but you’d be surprised how chilly it can get when the fire fades.”
I frowned at him. Was he trying to tell me something?
He noticed my look. “What?”
I shrugged, sitting down on one of the farthest benches from him. “Nothing.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and hunched over. “Logan’s making us food?”
“Yep. He does that. Chef Logan. That’s all we’ve been hearing lately. It’s annoying.”
Oh. “Do all of you guys live here?”
“Yeah.” Nate hunched forward too and poked the fire with a stick. “We had a different house closer to campus last year. Since Sam’s living with us now, Mason wanted something more private and secure.” He used the stick to wave over the backyard. “You can’t see it, but there’s a perimeter around the house. Anyone we don’t know steps over it, and we all get alarms sent to our phones.”
I looked around, but this was the outskirts of town. The backyard was trees, and that was what filled up the front yard, too. “Who are you guys?”
Nate grinned. “We’ve had our fair share of enemies; I guess I can say that much.”
“You can say that and more.” Logan joined the conversation as he arrived, holding a pan in front of him with an oven mitt on his hand. He set the pan down on a brick near the fire, taking the bench between us. “I made quesadillas. And see?” He pointed to a platter with three smaller cups. “Dip.”
“You made the dip?” Nate sounded impressed.
“No.” Logan shook his head. “But I put it in those little things. Chef Logan always makes it right for my man-husband.” He winked at Nate.
“I’ve told you...” Nate rolled his eyes, but grinned as he reached for a quesadilla. “You need to stop trying to get into my pants, Logan. Mason’s made it clear. Our romance is strictly forbidden.”
Logan gave a low, smooth chuckle.
Even his laugh was infectious. It slid into me, warming and relaxing me all at the same time.
Logan mirrored Nate, kicking his legs up on the corner of my seat, and the two began talking. I tuned them out to stare at the fire, but I couldn’t tune out Logan’s feet so close to me. I felt the stirrings of things I shouldn’t be feeling. Images of going to Logan, sinking next to his side, feeling his arm around me, or—I closed my eyes; the images were vivid now. Kissing him. Touching his face. I held my breath. It was so temping to go over and sit next to him. His arm would go around my shoulders. I could lean in. Then…
I was burning up, an ache building between my legs.
Logan and Nate talked and laughed. I was holding myself back from jumping Logan. And then I was somewhere else. Eric and I had been laughing together in bed that morning...
“Come on.” He’d poked me in the side as he lay next to me, our naked limbs tangled together. His mouth rested on my shoulder, and his lips had grazed my skin as he added, “We should get up if we’re going to stop and see your mom when we get home.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond.
The poke had turned into a tickle, and soon Eric was on top of me. All the laughter and shrieks soon transformed to moaning. He’d slid back inside me, and we’d stayed in bed for another hour.
I gripped my plate on my lap and stared into the fire, but I was back there. I remembered when we’d pulled up to the hospital. Eric held my hand as we walked in. We didn’t stop at the front desk. I’d grown up visiting my mom at work. The receptionist waved as she saw us go past, down the hallway. That was when we heard the first gunshot.
“Taylor?”
I started. My hands jerked, and the plate went flying. “Shit.” I reached for it, but Logan got there first, his eyes on me.
“Bruce, you okay?”
I relaxed instantly. It was stupid, but my last name put distance between us. It gave me space to think, feel, breathe. I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I nodded, relaxing the rest of my body as best I could. “Yeah. I’m good.”
It was probably obvious I wasn’t. After a brief moment of silence, Nate coughed and stood up, his plate in his hand. “Think I’ll head to bed for the night.” He picked up the empty quesadilla platter and his beer, as well as the one Logan had emptied. I had a beer in front of me, but I hadn’t touched it.
Logan’s hand rested on the small of my back, and his other held two beers for us. “We’re coming. Where’s Sam?”
Nate waved at the house. “Mason was awake when we got home, so she went with him.”
“You want anything to eat?”
I glanced up. Food hadn’t entered my mind all night, but at Logan’s question, I realized I was ravenous. “Yes, please,” I told him. “Can I help with something?”
He nodded in Nate’s direction. “Head on down. There are blankets down there and more beer, if you need either. Nate will set you up.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make some food for us. Be down in a few.”
It felt a little weird. I associated bonfires with party atmospheres. With only a few people, it seemed intimate. Nate was rummaging in a storage bin a few feet from the bonfire. I didn’t want to feel an intimate vibe with him. Logan now represented my comfort zone, and that in itself should’ve been an alarm signal. Instead, I focused on making it until he returned..
“Hey,” Nate said as I approached. “Blankets are in here if you get cold.”
I looked at the raging fire. “Don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
He laughed, sitting down on one of the benches. “Yeah, but you’d be surprised how chilly it can get when the fire fades.”
I frowned at him. Was he trying to tell me something?
He noticed my look. “What?”
I shrugged, sitting down on one of the farthest benches from him. “Nothing.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and hunched over. “Logan’s making us food?”
“Yep. He does that. Chef Logan. That’s all we’ve been hearing lately. It’s annoying.”
Oh. “Do all of you guys live here?”
“Yeah.” Nate hunched forward too and poked the fire with a stick. “We had a different house closer to campus last year. Since Sam’s living with us now, Mason wanted something more private and secure.” He used the stick to wave over the backyard. “You can’t see it, but there’s a perimeter around the house. Anyone we don’t know steps over it, and we all get alarms sent to our phones.”
I looked around, but this was the outskirts of town. The backyard was trees, and that was what filled up the front yard, too. “Who are you guys?”
Nate grinned. “We’ve had our fair share of enemies; I guess I can say that much.”
“You can say that and more.” Logan joined the conversation as he arrived, holding a pan in front of him with an oven mitt on his hand. He set the pan down on a brick near the fire, taking the bench between us. “I made quesadillas. And see?” He pointed to a platter with three smaller cups. “Dip.”
“You made the dip?” Nate sounded impressed.
“No.” Logan shook his head. “But I put it in those little things. Chef Logan always makes it right for my man-husband.” He winked at Nate.
“I’ve told you...” Nate rolled his eyes, but grinned as he reached for a quesadilla. “You need to stop trying to get into my pants, Logan. Mason’s made it clear. Our romance is strictly forbidden.”
Logan gave a low, smooth chuckle.
Even his laugh was infectious. It slid into me, warming and relaxing me all at the same time.
Logan mirrored Nate, kicking his legs up on the corner of my seat, and the two began talking. I tuned them out to stare at the fire, but I couldn’t tune out Logan’s feet so close to me. I felt the stirrings of things I shouldn’t be feeling. Images of going to Logan, sinking next to his side, feeling his arm around me, or—I closed my eyes; the images were vivid now. Kissing him. Touching his face. I held my breath. It was so temping to go over and sit next to him. His arm would go around my shoulders. I could lean in. Then…
I was burning up, an ache building between my legs.
Logan and Nate talked and laughed. I was holding myself back from jumping Logan. And then I was somewhere else. Eric and I had been laughing together in bed that morning...
“Come on.” He’d poked me in the side as he lay next to me, our naked limbs tangled together. His mouth rested on my shoulder, and his lips had grazed my skin as he added, “We should get up if we’re going to stop and see your mom when we get home.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond.
The poke had turned into a tickle, and soon Eric was on top of me. All the laughter and shrieks soon transformed to moaning. He’d slid back inside me, and we’d stayed in bed for another hour.
I gripped my plate on my lap and stared into the fire, but I was back there. I remembered when we’d pulled up to the hospital. Eric held my hand as we walked in. We didn’t stop at the front desk. I’d grown up visiting my mom at work. The receptionist waved as she saw us go past, down the hallway. That was when we heard the first gunshot.
“Taylor?”
I started. My hands jerked, and the plate went flying. “Shit.” I reached for it, but Logan got there first, his eyes on me.
“Bruce, you okay?”
I relaxed instantly. It was stupid, but my last name put distance between us. It gave me space to think, feel, breathe. I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I nodded, relaxing the rest of my body as best I could. “Yeah. I’m good.”
It was probably obvious I wasn’t. After a brief moment of silence, Nate coughed and stood up, his plate in his hand. “Think I’ll head to bed for the night.” He picked up the empty quesadilla platter and his beer, as well as the one Logan had emptied. I had a beer in front of me, but I hadn’t touched it.
