The Christmas Deal

Jenna raised her eyebrows. “Yeah? Okay, good. You guys seem to be faking it really well. I almost believe all the longing glances between you two.”

It truly shouldn’t have hurt—but, oh, it did. Seth told himself it was ridiculous, yet his heart ached anyway, and he could only manage a strangled half-smile. He hadn’t even realized he and Logan had been glancing at each other during dinner, and especially not with longing.

Part of him wanted to insist that it wasn’t fake at all, that the sex he and Logan were having had to mean something. Of course he couldn’t say that to Jenna since she had no idea her brother was anything but straight. At least not that Seth was aware, and there was definitely no good way to casually probe to see if she had an inkling.

Jenna touched his arm. “It seems like you guys have become friends? I’m so happy about that. You’re both wonderful people, you know that?”

His smile this time was genuine. “So are you.” He hugged her briefly, careful not to squish Noah, who had settled. “And yes, I’d like to think we’ve become friends through this deal. Logan’s so hard on himself. He and Connor both.”

“Hopefully this weekend will be good for them. And you.” She glanced around. “We’d better get back. Angela’s probably going to make a ‘BRK is one big happy family’ speech any minute.”

Sure enough, Angela did just that. Seth clapped in the right places and nodded and smiled as he tried not to look at Logan. It was a relief when they could escape back to their room after a performance by a local choir.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was stuck on a loop in Seth’s head as he changed into his flannel pajamas. He was aware of Logan’s gaze and looked up as he finished the buttons on his top. Logan stood by the side of the bed in his black boxer briefs.

And nothing else.

“Oh,” Seth murmured without meaning to. Connor was in the bathroom, so it was just the two of them for the moment. Seth looked down at his plaid PJs. He felt stupidly prim and overdressed.

“I should probably…” Logan unzipped his duffel and pulled out a plain gray T-shirt. He pulled it on, covering his sexy, hairy chest. “Ugly, I know.”

Seth jolted, realizing he was staring, and that Logan meant the scars. “No. Not at all. That wasn’t…”

Connor re-emerged, wearing an oversized T-shirt and boxers. He yawned widely as he shuffled by, pimple ointment dotted over his face. He huddled under the covers and didn’t bother saying goodnight.

In their bed, Logan crawled over to the left side, which was against the wall separating the bedroom area from the bathroom. Seth stretched out on the edge of the mattress, in danger of rolling off and cracking his head on the side table. He reached up and snapped out the light, murmuring, “’Night.”

“Sleep well,” Logan whispered from behind him. Only inches separated them, and Seth imagined he could feel the heat of Logan’s muscular body.

He could still feel it an hour later, sleep stubbornly elusive. As gently as possible, Seth rolled over, facing Logan. In the white glow of the digital clock on the side table, he could see the lines and shadows of Logan’s face, and the rise and fall of his shoulder as he breathed softly.

When Logan opened his eyes, Seth had to bite back a gasp, his heart skipping. They stared at each other, and Seth’s body responded, his breath shallow, blood flooding south as he got shamefully hard. He reminded himself Connor was in the other bed and that even if he wasn’t, this connection with Logan wasn’t real.

They stared at each other, only inches apart. It would be so easy to lean a bit closer, to kiss Logan again and breathe him in, just for a minute before they slept. He could feel the heat from Logan’s body and wanted to climb into his skin…

Seth rolled away, squeezing his eyes shut as he curled on the very edge of the bed. He swore he could sense Logan watching him, and willed himself to think of something else—anything else!—so he could sleep and this night would be mercifully over.

Chapter Fifteen

A thud and muffled curse woke him, and Logan was instantly alert. He sat up, blinking at Connor near the foot of the bed in the gloom, hopping on one foot.

The alarm clock on the table between the beds gave off enough light to see. It was just past seven. Beside Logan, Seth curled away from him under the comforter. Logan could see enough of his slack face to know he was still asleep.

Connor was in his swimming trunks and a concert T-shirt from a rapper Logan could remember him blasting from his room when he and Veronica had argued.