Page 13 of Spilled Coffee

Reluctance twisted through Ethan like a coiled spring tightening. The towel was a comfort in an unfamiliar situation, covering his vulnerability.

But Logan’s tone wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. And with trembling hands, Ethan unwrapped the towel from around him. His nerves buzzed under his skin like static, every inch of flesh he bared made him feel exposed.

Free of the towel’s embrace, he spread it flat on the bench, then sat on it. He kept his eyes downcast, unwilling—or unable—to meet Logan’s gaze.

Logan tracked his every move. There was no malice in his expression, but there was something else—something primal that made Ethan’s stomach flip. The way Logan looked at him wasn’t casual or disinterested, it was deliberate. He lingered on every curve of smooth skin now glossed with sweat under the dim light.

He’d already hung his own towel on a peg, and stashed the rolled-up one in his hand on the shelf above—hiding a little surprise he had planned.

Ethan couldn’t help himself, his eyes locked on Logan. The angle he was sitting was torture. His head was almost level with Logan’s waist and heat flooded his face, embarrassment and desire colliding within him. He jerked his eyes away, floundering for somewhere safe to look, and sighed.

Logan caught it. He stepped forward and stood directly in front of Ethan. “You’re nervous.”

Ethan forced himself to look up despite every instinct screaming at him not to. His gaze landed somewhere around Logan’s chest before darting away again. “I’m not—” he started to protest, but stopped as Logan kneeled down before him.

“Don’t lie, I can see it all over your face.”

Ethan swallowed hard, struggling to breathe in the air that felt too thick for his lungs. “I just… I’ve never…” He trailed off helplessly.

Logan reached out, glancing his fingers across Ethan’s cheek with surprising tenderness. “So,” he asked as his thumb traced slow circles just below his jaw. “You done this before?”

The touch felt electric, and sent sparks racing across Ethan’s skin. He blinked rapidly as if trying to clear the fog from his mind. “A sauna?” he asked after a beat too long.

“No,” Logan chuckled. “You know I don’t mean the sauna. Have you been with a man before?” he asked, not accusatory or judgmental but with straightforward curiosity—as though he were asking about the weather rather than a deeply personal truth.

Ethan almost choked as he sucked in a breath. “No.” The word stumbled out as fire blazed in his cheeks.

He wanted to lie.Oh, God, how he wanted to lie—to say yes with a confidence he didn’t possess and claim an experience that wasn’t his.He wanted to meet Logan’s gaze with unwavering assurance and tell him he knew exactly what he was doing.But those eyes…Logan’s eyes were relentless, they bore into him like they could strip him down to his very core and lay bare every secret he’d ever tried to hide.

There was no lying under the scrutiny of that gaze. None at all.

The truth. He’d had fantasies, sure—in fact there were countless nights imagining things. But real? Well, there had been that drunken encounter with Adam, but they’d both stopped that before it could become anything serious.

“No,” he repeated, quietly.

“Good.” Logan’s smile widened, and there was something possessive in his eyes.

Good?The word ricocheted through Ethan’s mind like a bullet, leaving confusion and panic in its wake.Good? What the hell did he mean by that? Did he mean good because hadn’tcrossed some unspoken line? Or good because he was safe to dismiss him now? Or was it something else entirely?

Doubt gnawed at Ethan as his thoughts spiraled out of control. His breath hitched as his mind raced ahead of itself, spinning out worst-case scenarios faster than he could chase them down.

Did I misread this whole situation?Maybe Logan was testing him—checking for a weakness or vulnerability, seeing if Ethan had compromised himself in some way.That would explain the intensity in his expression, wouldn’t it?

But then why did it feel like something else?

Logan tilted his head like the way someone would study an unfinished puzzle. His voice became quieter, but no less commanding. “What do you think of me?”

“Think of you?” The question landed like a physical blow, knocking the wind out of Ethan’s already struggling lungs. “Uh… well…” He hesitated for what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds at most. “You’re…” he searched desperately for words that wouldn’t betray too much. “You’re a great leader,” he finally managed to say. “Strong. Smart. Powerful…”

His voice faltered, stopping short of saying everything else that lingered on the tip of his tongue—the unspoken thoughts that would betray just how deeply Logan affected him.

Logan didn’t press. Instead, he let the silence linger between them just long enough for Ethan’s nerves to fray under the weight of it. It was like he knew exactly what effect he was having.

“And what do you think of my body?” he said after a beat, moving closer.

Shit.Ethan shifted in his seat as flames crawled up his spine. “Uh… well, you work out, keep fit… so you look good, I guess.That’s if I was looking. Which I don’t.” The lie hung in the air like smoke: flimsy, transparent, yet still impossible to ignore.

Logan arched a brow, quietly contemplating for a moment before he continued. “So you don’t look at my body?”

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