Page 99 of Spilled Coffee

“So when? Logan, I need to see you again, and I don’t wanna wait.”

“I don’t know.” Logan’s gaze softened, his eyes tracing Ethan’s face—the bruises looked less obvious now, but his vulnerability was still raw. “We’ll figure something out. Look, we’re getting spun up, let’s focus on that for now.”

Ethan leaned in, brushing his lips against Logan’s, seeking reassurance. A smile tugged at Logan’s lips as he returned thekiss. “I know it’s hard, but we will find time—I swear. Now grab your gear, we gotta go. I need to swing by my place first and grab some clothes.”

“Promise. Promise me we’ll have time together, soon,” Ethan’s eyes pleaded, fingers flexing restlessly. “This is gonna be so damn hard, being with you, but not being able to touch you.”

“C’mon, you know how this has to be.” Logan’s smile faded, his boot nudging Ethan’s gently. “This is why I said this shouldn’t happen.” He frowned, stroking Ethan’s cheek, thumb grazing the bruise, guilt flickering. “Now, get it together. We’ve got work to do.”

“You’re right.” Ethan pulled Logan in, lips meeting his, a hand cupping his cheek. “Thank you, despite everything, I had a great time last night.”

His phone buzzed, Brick’s name again lighting up the screen. He quickly silenced it and focused on Logan, the man he’d fought to be with, the man he would risk everything for.

Their confrontation with Devon seemed insignificant now—them being together, stealing moments against the grind, is what mattered the most.

CHAPTER 56

The two mendrove separately back to the base.

The road was bathed in the soft glow of early morning light, but Ethan barely registered as his fingers gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, his mind replaying events from last night—Logan’s laugh, and the way his hand lingered just a moment too long when they parted.

His lips curved into a smirk, remembering Logan’s expression when he stole his last piece of gum earlier.

Brick was the first to arrive, parking haphazardly and dragging himself through the dimly lit corridors into the briefing room.

By the time Ethan walked in, coffee was already brewing and Brick was slumped in a chair with his cap pulled low over his face, casting a shadow across his bloodshot eyes.

He clutched a battered plastic water bottle like it was some kind of lifeline, periodically taking small sips and grimacing as if it might actually cure whatever hell he’d put himself through.

“Finally, man,” he groaned as Ethan clapped him on the shoulder—a quick, firm pat that sent him wincing forward in his seat like an old man nursing a bad back.

“Rough night?” Ethan teased, his tone edged with curiosity. He moved through to the smaller side office where the coffee machine gurgled.

A collection of mismatched mugs sat in disarray on the counter, and his hand hovered for a moment before picking up the chipped black mug adorned with the faded gold anchor. It felt oddly intimate in his hands as he poured himself a coffee, the rich aroma curling into the air and filling the room.

Brick let out a loud groan, rubbing both temples with his fingertips as if trying to erase whatever ghost was haunting him. “Rough don’t even begin to cover it.” His leg bounced up and down in an erratic rhythm, punctuating his words. “I tried callin’ you—like a million times,” he admitted, his voice tight with frustration or maybe it was something else, it was hard to tell with the exhaustion weighing him down. “Where the hell were you?”

Ethan lifted an eyebrow and leaned against the counter as he took an experimental sip of the coffee and grimaced at how bitter it was. He’d never understood how Logan drank this stuff straight, no cream, no sugar, just pure caffeine.

“I was busy,” he said simply, his grin shifting into something knowing.

Brick squinted up at him from under the brim of his cap, suspicion flickering in his tired eyes. “Busy doin’ what?” he asked pointedly.

Ethan didn’t answer. He set his mug down and let his gaze wander across the room where he found Logan standing in front of a large map pinned to a board, discussing plans with Cussler as the rest of the team settled in behind them.

Logan stood tall, steady and commanding, despite what had been a long night for him, too. His shoulders squared beneath his fatigues as he pointed to red lines crisscrossing enemyterritory. His hands gripped a new mug, a present from Jess, and steam curled into the air like smoke signals.

Something shifted, and as Logan’s gaze flickered up, it snagged on Ethan. As their eyes met, the rest of the room seemed to disappear and he hesitated mid-sentence—not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough for Ethan to see it.

His grip tightened on his mug before relaxing again. Something unspoken passed between them in that fleeting glance, a memory: laughter muffled by shadows, whispered words shared too close, hands that didn’t quite let go when they should have.

Ethan tilted his head slightly, raising one brow as if to saystill thinking about last night?His smirk deepened when Logan blinked quickly and cleared his throat, turning back to the map with renewed focus.

“Hey man, watch out… you got spillage,” Brick rasped, gesturing to Logan’s mug, the coffee sloshing over the rim, splashing the table.

“Shit,” Logan muttered, shaking off the mishap with a sheepish grin as he wiped his hand on his camouflaged BDUs and continued.

Ethan couldn’t help but smirk, the moment evoking a vivid memory when he had spilled coffee all over himself, flustered and fumbling, sparking the start of everything else.

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