Page 117 of Sapphire Sunset

The cry that tore from him was multi-octave, prolonged.Maybe because he couldn’t thrash or flail as it surged. Directed it right downat Logan as he erupted across his bare chest and stomach. Logan’s eyes lit upwith delight, his teeth clenched in desire behind his smile. Grunting as hedrank it all in, the sight of Connor’s bliss channeled and unleashed, and sovery close. His mouth a perfectO, the last of his groans stuttering.And then his gasping mouth met Logan’s, and Logan caught it in a wet and hungrykiss.

And for a moment, they were still.

“Do you need me to stop?” Logan asked.

And for a second, Connor thought that might be the case. Inany other circumstance, with any other man, riding so hard and fast would haverequired a reprieve. But Connor felt purged, swept, and boneless.

“No,” he whispered into Logan’s muscular neck. “I need youto cum.”

Connor rose to a seated position again. He could feel his sweaty,dappled bangs plastered to his forehead, his dress shirt disheveled and sweaty.Slowly, he rocked back onto Logan’s girth until Logan began to thrust. And hecould tell that Logan knew, knew the effort required of Connor to give thismuch of his body this hard and this fast and in rapid succession. And slowlyConnor let go. Let Logan take control from the bottom. Let Logan grip his hips andgrind his teeth and stare into his eyes as he drew closer and closer and closer.

Words as profane as everything they were doing bubbled up inhim. As if Logan had become the locus of every debauched fantasy Connor hadever had, every slick and delightfully degrading act Connor had wanted visitedon his body was now Logan’s terrain, Logan’s kingdom. Connor fell forward and broughthis mouth to Logan’s ear. “Own it,” he whispered, “own it,’causeit’s yours. Own my ass, Logan.”

Logan unleashed. Connor felt like he was suddenly riding awave of muscle animated by a force pulsing from beyond this world. Hestraightened, straightened and accepted the final upward assault of Logan’sdesire, rocking back on it. Riding it, hands braced on Logan’s sweaty, heavingchest. Delighting in the way Logan’s eruption turned the expression on his facefrom something that could have been mistaken for rage into something suffusedwith wonder.

It was Logan who reached up and brought their mouthstogether. Some of the energy had gone out of his kiss, but not the need. Connorwilted, giving himself entirely to Logan’s embrace.

Slowly, Logan rolled Connor onto his back, which allowed himto carefully withdraw from Connor’s aching heat.

I love you.

Connor could feel the words inside of him, pressing againsthis lips. But it was too soon, too dangerous. Too childish to say them right inthe flush of passion like this. But they circled in his head, pulsed inside hischest.I love you. I love you, Logan.

He couldn’t. Not yet. Had to put some distance betweenhimself and abandon before he gave voice to it. Only then could its truth standapart from the moans and cries of release, only then could its significance andconsequences be acknowledged for what they truly were. What they truly couldbe.

But when Logan started to pull away, probably to remove thecondom, Connor stopped him. “Just wait. Just leave it and wait for a second.”

“Of course,” Logan whispered.

I love you, Logan,Connor thought, but what he saidwas, “Don’t let me go. Don’t let me go yet.”

Logan answered by snuggling up against his back, spooningthem into the covers, wrapping his arms around him. Holding him. And for afrightening moment, Connor feared Logan might not say anything in response.Surely he’d sensed the sudden flood of fear that had pulsed through Connor. Washe now scared too? It was always a risk with two men. There was always a littlesandpit of shame waiting for two men after they had sex. And if they took thewrong step, suddenly it was drowning them in the voices of old bullies and oldbigots. But Logan’s embrace, Connor was sure, could protect him from thosevoices, protect him from shame’s quicksand. Still, Connor wanted him to saymore, even as he fought against saying the words that were trying to forcetheir way out of him.

“Never,” Logan whispered into Connor’s ear. “I’ll never letyou go.”

And even if it was a platitude made easier to say by theafterglow of great sex, it was enough. For now. Enough for Connor to feel atrest in Logan’s arms. Enough for him not to say the words he wanted to say.Yet. Enough to believe that maybe what Logan had said just might be true.

Logan was dreaming of lying on a beach withConnor in his arms. Somewhere distant, but as beautiful as Sapphire Cove.Someplace where they were together and content instead of trying to be togetherand content while also saving a hotel. It felt like Hawaii, but he’d neverbeen, so he couldn’t be sure. Wherever it was, there were palm trees greenerthan any Logan had seen in real life, and the ocean was as blue as Connor’smouthwash.

The ocean also sounded like it was trying to warn himsomething was on fire.

An electronic, insistent sound. It wasn’t coming from hisdreams, but the phone on his nightstand.

Recognizing the special ring he’d assigned Donnie, Logangroped for his earpiece and found it by its blinking blue light.

“Yep,” he said.

“My boys arefreakin’, Murdoch.”Donnie only called him by his last name when something was seriously wrong.Logan sat up fast, lighting flames in his injured shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Logan asked.

“Some blogger outed them, and that crazy woman’s Twitter ishaving a field day. She’s using theirrealnames, man. Brandon’s momjust called him screaming from Ohio. She had no idea.”

“Shit.”

Next to him, Connor stirred.

“You better get down there and talk to them,” Donnie said.

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