Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“I hate to interrupt, I really do, but this is getting really awkward, brother mine.” The voice sounded really close now, and Andrew tore his mouth away with a miserable whimper and forced his eyes open.
Even when his eyes finally managed to focus on the smiling woman behind Logan, it took him a few moments to recognize her. Right. Logan’s sister. Both of his sisters. Both of his sisters and half a dozen unfamiliar people that looked a lot like Logan. People who all were staring at Andrew and had undoubtedly just witnessed Andrew jumping Logan and groping him all over. Great. It was a good thing he was already flushed and it wasn’t physically possible for Andrew to blush harder.
He said faintly, “Hey.”
“Hi, Andrew,” the woman said. Was it Kate or Alice? They kind of looked alike, and Andrew’s hazy brain still wasn’t exactly at its best. To be honest, it took everything in him not to go back to clinging to Logan. Other people’s scrutiny wasn’t exactly helping his equilibrium. He still couldn’t bring himself to step away from Logan.
Logan stood very still beside him.
Andrew risked a glance at him and found himself caught in those dark eyes again.
They were difficult to read, but they remained only on Andrew. “What are you doing here?” he said quietly, ignoring his relatives completely.
Andrew moistened his lips with his tongue, and felt a surge of happiness when Logan’s gaze flicked down to his mouth before he visibly forced himself to return it back to Andrew’s eyes.
Logan still wanted him. Except physical want meant very little.
The thought made Andrew deflate. He looked at Logan’s face searchingly, but it was difficult to read him.
“Are you going to introduce us, son?” said a female voice.
Logan glanced at the people in his house before looking back at Andrew. “This is Andrew Reyes,” he said, his voice stiff, uncharacteristically hesitant for him.
“We are aware of his name,” said the same woman. Logan’s mother. She seemed to be in her sixties, her gaze not unkind but bewildered as she eyed Andrew.
The unsaid question was clear. Who is he to you?
Andrew swallowed. He looked at Logan uncertainly, but Logan’s expression was unreadable. Guarded. He was still gazing at Andrew intently, but he wasn’t in a hurry to reply to the unasked question.
Andrew’s heart seemed to be beating somewhere in his throat. He swallowed again. Part of him wanted to remain silent—until Logan indicated that he actually wanted them to be something. But he had a feeling that it would be a mistake.
Needing isn’t enough, Logan had told him months ago. You don’t want this.
He was pretty sure Logan wanted him to take the first step.
But if he was wrong, if Logan didn’t actually want to be with him, this would be the worst humiliation of his life, humiliation his heart would never recover from.
He would have to make a leap of faith. Be brave for once. Do something the bigoted man he had been a year ago would have never done.
Andrew took a deep breath. Then he looked at Logan’s mother, because it was easier, and said, “I’m Logan’s boyfriend.”
The surprised silence that fell over the room was deafening, but Andrew barely paid it any mind. All his senses were attuned to the man who stood very still beside him.
Finally, Andrew found the courage to look at him.
Logan’s guarded expression had melted away. His dark eyes were warm, so very warm now, gazing at Andrew with a look that made Andrew’s breath catch in his throat. Then a smile appeared, first in Logan’s eyes before spreading to the rest of his face.
Logan pulled him close and gave him a hard, possessive kiss, his strong hands cradling Andrew’s face gently. “Boyfriend, huh?” he said, breaking the kiss and leaning their foreheads together. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Blushing, Andrew laughed, wrapping his arms around Logan’s neck and melting into him.
He didn’t care that Logan’s entire family was looking at them. He was happy. He felt whole, safe, and wanted.
He was where he wanted to be.
Epilogue
Three months later
Derek Rutledge stood on the terrace of his house, nursing a glass of wine and watching the guests milling about the garden. The formal part of the evening was over, and the journalists were gone. Thank fuck.
He loosened his tie with one hand, his eyes searching for his husband. Shawn was nowhere to be seen, which was fucking priceless, since the whole thing had been his idea.
A party in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the partnership will show everyone that there’s no bad blood between us and Ian Caldwell, Shawn had said, looking at him with his annoyingly pretty eyes. The little shit knew exactly the effect they had on him: that they got Derek to agree to the most inane ideas.
To be fair, Shawn’s idea had some merit. Despite their best efforts to keep their conflict quiet, people still talked. One of the lawyers Derek had consulted must have spilled the beans to the press, which had resulted in a lot of media scrutiny. Not to mention that it had somewhat hurt the business, since people were wary of dealing with a company that had unstable leadership at the top.