The Christmas Deal

Seth slid his arm around Logan’s broad shoulders. They were both in jeans and sweaters, and the worn wool of Logan’s was soft under Seth’s fingers. “You said you want me,” Seth whispered.

“Hell yes.” Logan squeezed his thigh. “I wanna bust a nut all over you.”

Seth had to laugh. “Thank you?”

Logan laughed too, his eyes crinkling beautifully. “I just mean… You get me really hot. I wanna do things with you I never have with a guy.” He glanced at the entry to the great room, leaning forward and apparently making sure they were still alone.

Clearing his throat, Logan went on. “What I mean is, I meant it when I said I like you. As more than a friend.”

Seth’s heart thudded. “And not just for casual sex?”

“No.” He frowned. “You don’t want that, do you? I got the feeling you’re not very good at it.” He quickly added, “The casual part! You’re excellent at sex.”

Now Seth’s face was hot, but he said, “Thanks. And yeah. People tell me I should be going on the hookup apps and dating and having fun. But I don’t want to hook up with a dozen men. That’s not who I am. I want to be with you.”

“Yeah?” Logan grinned.

Seth’s heart soared. Tracing the shell of Logan’s ear with his finger, arm snug around him, he whispered, “I love having sex with you. It’s…liberating.”

They kissed, moving toward each other in unison, mouths opening and tongues exploring. It was languid and sweet, and Logan rubbed his hand over Seth’s thigh lazily. Seth tingled all over but was content to keep it slow and PG-13 for the moment.

“Never kissed a guy,” Logan mumbled, nuzzling Seth’s cheek. “Turns out it’s not so different from kissing a woman.” He leaned back. His smile was soft, his eyes vulnerable. “Definitely never fallen for a guy before you.”

Seth kissed Logan deeply, tilting his head and wanting to climb right inside his body. With a soft moan, he whispered, “I’ve fallen for you too, just in case that’s not crystal clear.”

“Still like hearing it.” Logan squeezed Seth’s thigh. His face grew serious, and after nuzzling Seth again, he leaned back. “I don’t want to fuck this up. I know I rushed into it with Veronica, but I swear it’s not my MO. And with her…”

After a few moments of silence, Seth said, “You don’t have to talk about it.”

“I want to.” Logan rubbed his face wearily. “Honestly, I knew it was a mistake. I knew it. She was the one who proposed, and I didn’t want to say no. She’d made sure she didn’t work as my nurse anymore so there was no unethical shit, but I was still in the hospital. I was fired and none of my friends from the railway had even visited. I felt like garbage, and Veronica was like this angel. And she had insurance, and I was going to be bankrupt from the hospital bills otherwise. We both got swept up in the idea that getting married would fix our problems.”

“I understand.”

“She was a good woman.”

“Of course!”

Logan shook his head, his voice low. “I can’t imagine what it was like for him, finding her dead.”

Seth couldn’t either. Poor, poor Connor. “At least he talked about it. We’ll be here to listen and support him.”

“I want that. When you two went through the ice—I thought that might be it, that you were both dead and I’d never get the chance to make it right with Connor… Or make it real with you.”

Seth could barely breathe as he waited for Logan to finish.

Taking a deep breath, Logan peered at him intently. “The deal was we’d stay until January. Do you—what do you think about that?”

“I think we clearly need a new deal. One involving a lot of very non-casual sex and you and Connor staying here indefinitely. We’ll see what happens. We don’t need to put any limits or deadlines on it. Except that we’ll be partners who don’t sleep with anyone else. I know open relationships can be great for some people, but…”

“Hmm.” Logan seemed to be pondering it.

The hair on Seth’s neck stood up, an icy chill slipping down his spine. Maybe that was a deal breaker for Logan?

“Holy shit, the look on your face!” Laughing, Logan pressed a wet kiss to Seth’s cheek. “Sorry. I was just messing with you. I don’t want anyone else. I don’t do open. Never have.”

Seth elbowed him. “Jerk. So I guess we have a new deal?” He removed his right arm from around Logan’s shoulders and extended his hand formally. “Boyfriends-slash-partners-slash-whatever we want to call it. Indefinitely. Living together, because why the hell not?”

They were old enough to know what they wanted, and if it was a disaster, so be it. They’d cross that bridge if it ever appeared.

Logan shook his hand firmly. “That’s some salty language from you.” He waggled his brows. “Makes me want to fuck your brains out.”