Chapter 25
Logan
It was pitch black when Logan eventually opened his eyes. He briefly wondered if he was dead before he heard the heavy rumbling just over his shoulder. He doubted the afterlife snored. His mate’s welcome scent flooded his nostrils and Logan tried to turn over wanting to feel Jude’s face, even if he couldn’t see it.
Unfortunately, the heavy weight across his waist and legs made movement impossible. Jude’s hand found its mate’s and twined their fingers together. Satisfied for the moment, Logan’s eyes fell shut again and he drifted back into dreams of the future.
The next time Logan woke, he found himself once again naked on the banks of Silver Moon Lake. The sun was shining bright overhead just as it had before. Logan’s skin glistened with sweat as he was bathed in its steady warmth. Logan heard his brother shift at his side, clearing his throat. Logan turned his head, readying himself for a continuation of Ben’s lecture regarding Logan’s stupid life choices. Instead, he found Jude’s head turned toward him, a wide smile stretching his beautiful face.
“Hey there,” Jude said.
“Hey, yourself,” Logan answered. Logan looked around in confusion. “How’d we get here? Weren’t we just being chased by a mob in Dallas?”
Instead of answering, Jude straddled Logan’s hips and grinned down at his mate. Logan put the thought out of his mind as Jude captured Logan’s mouth hungrily. A brief brush of firm lips soon morphed into a hard press. Logan moaned as Jude’s tongue forced itself inside his mouth, then set up a duel with his own. Logan’s cock throbbed as Jude ground his hips, making Logan wonder again what had taken him so long to accept this as his new reality.
Any trace of Logan’s resistance dissolved when Jude dropped one large hand between them and forced their lengths together inside his fist. Logan was practically drowning in the unexpected pleasure; his precome joining with Jude’s to soothe the dry friction between them. Every thrust of Jude’s cock against his own was a mixture of pleasure and pain.
When Jude finally released his mouth, Logan’s lips felt bruised and swollen. Jude’s mouth wasn’t done yet, though, as it latched onto the skin over Logan’s left collarbone and sucked hard. Logan knew the tiger was marking him and he vowed to wear the angry bruise proudly. When teeth replaced lips and bit down hard, almost breaking the skin, Logan could hold back no longer. He screamed his release on Jude’s name. Jude’s fist tightened and Logan’s mate shuddered on a groan, joining Logan in his pleasure. Warm, wet heat mixed with Logan’s own as it splashed across his belly like a fiery brand. Logan welcomed his mate’s heavy weight as it pressed him down into the sandy earth. His eyes closed of their own accord and, once again exhausted, Logan allowed himself to sink again into the black.
When Logan was able to finally break free from the abyss of exhaustion that seemed intent on swallowing him whole, he found himself alone. Sunlight bathed across Logan’s chest and he scanned the room frantically. He was obviously in a hotel room, but had no memory of how he’d gotten there.
“Was it all a dream?” Logan wondered. Logan launched himself from the rumpled sheets and ran to the bathroom mirror. There on his left collarbone was the evidence. A deep purple bruise. It throbbed slightly as Logan poked it with his index finger.
“Shit. No denying it now,” Logan muttered to himself. He quickly showered, refusing to acknowledge the faint traces of dried semen he scrubbed from his belly button. Apparently Jude had mostly cleaned him up before leaving otherwise the evidence would have been undeniable.
Logan leaned his head on the shower wall and closed his eyes. He didn’t know if he was more pissed with himself for losing control or with Jude for apparently abandoning him again. Logan let the warm water try to bathe away his storm of emotions, but Logan doubted even a tsunami would be effective in this instance. The fabric shower curtain shifted and Logan suddenly wasn’t alone. Jude’s warm front pressed all along Logan’s back. His strong arms wrapped around Logan’s waist. As soon as Logan’s brain caught up, his spine stiffened reflexively. Jude stepped back putting mere inches between them and let his arms fall to his sides.
“Sorry. I thought you were okay with this now. With us,” Jude said. Logan was surprised at how calm the other man sounded. He knew if their roles had been reversed, Logan would have been pissed. Logan thumped his forehead repeatedly on the shower wall, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make his point that he was equally frustrated. Logan couldn’t just flip a switch and be gay all of a sudden. Even if Jude was truly his mate, Logan was still having trouble fully accepting how much his life would have to change.
As quickly as he’d arrived, Jude was gone. Logan finished showering and stalled for time as long as he thought plausible. He looked at himself once more in the mirror, remembering the passion he’d felt with the other man earlier in the day. It no longer felt real, but the love bite on Logan’s collarbone was exactly where he’d remembered Jude’s mouth attacking in the dream. He shivered at the memory, running the towel roughly through his dark black locks. Logan pretended the cooling droplets racing down his back were the only things causing the goosebumps all along his flesh.
Logan sighed deeply and realized he couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever. He tightened his towel around his waist and stepped back into the bedroom. Jude watched him from his perch on the bed, his expression both worried and hopeful somehow. Logan felt his wolf sit up and whine at sighting its mate again. Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His attempt at clearing his mind was thwarted by Jude’s familiar scent flooding his nostrils. Logan’s eyes flew open as he found himself flying through the air, landing with a thud on the bed. Jude’s hands ripped the towel away and started to make quick work at removing his own clothes. Logan pushed at Jude’s chest panicked.
“Wait. Stop. Please. Don’t do this,” Logan pleaded. Jude, pupils blown wide with lust, froze in the process of removing his shirt. He sat back on his heels, straddling Logan’s naked hips and ran both hands through his hair. Jude’s hands were shaking and Logan could feel the other man trying to rein himself back. Jude’s shirt hung open exposing his golden skin, just the coarse dusting of reddish-blond hair thickening in the center of Jude’s chest. Logan followed the fine line it made straight down into the front of Jude’s jeans.
“I can’t keep doing this, Logan. It’s one way or the other. You need to make up your mind before both of us go mad. You didn’t seem to mind this morning,” Jude said. The frustrated tone of his voice gave Logan no room to pretend he didn’t know what Jude was referring to.
“I was fucking dreaming this morning, okay. I didn’t know that was really happening. How did you not know I was fucking asleep?” Logan accused. Jude flinched and a faint blush ran up from his chest and into his neck.
“You did know I was asleep, didn’t you?” Logan snarled as he realized the truth. Jude’s head shot up and met Logan’s icy blue glare with one of his own, his mismatched eyes sparkling in their intensity.
“I suspected, alright, but you kept responding and saying my name. I figured that was as clear a response as I’ve ever gotten from you,” Jude replied.
“So you just went for it?!” Logan snarled.
“Yes, I fucking went for it!” Jude boomed. “You’re my fucking mate, asshole. Whether you want to admit it or not. I’m tired of waiting. Tired of beating the fuck out of other people trying to distract my tiger from forcibly claiming you. Do you have any idea how fucking dirty that made me feel? I was trying to make you fucking happy, but you’re just intent on making us both miserable, though. I don’t even know why I bothered.” Logan deflated at Jude’s admission.
“That’s why you were fighting?”
“No, I was doing it for the money,” Jude snarled sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. “Yes! That’s why I was doing it, asshole.” Jude shifted to the side until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to Logan. “You know what? Never mind. You’re happier being alone and, honestly, so am I.” Jude started trying to dress again, but his trembling hands quickly lost the battle to a shirt with buttons.
“You really were being serious when you said you’d do anything for my happiness, weren’t you?” Logan asked quietly. When Jude failed to respond, Logan prodded. “Remember. What you said before?” Jude’s chin dropped to his chest and he aimed his response at the floor.
“Of course I was serious. I don’t know what more I have to do to make you see that, Logan,” Jude replied, sadness heavy in his tone.
“Nothing,” Logan replied. Jude’s head lifted and he looked back at Logan, confusion playing across his features.
“What?”
“I said you don’t have to do anything else to prove it to me. I believe you, Jude. I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot,” Logan said. When Logan finally smiled, Jude launched himself back up the bed, ripping his half-buttoned shirt from his shoulders in his haste.