Page 32 of Sapphire Sunset

Get on your fucking game, Murdoch. There’s real shit atstake here. Take control. It’s what you do.

“Let’s sit.” Logan gestured to Laguna Brew with one arm.

Pale, lips pursed, and glassy-eyed, Connor nodded andfollowed Logan back to the table. The previously texting teenage girls werewatching their every move. He was determined to look Connor in the eye while hehandled this, but it was hard. Hard because Connor Harcourt apparently didn’thave a lifetime of trying to keep his emotions from showing on his face likeLogan did, and there was so much confusion and pain—and embarrassment—there,Logan had to fight the urge to take the guy in his arms and carry him off to aplace where the facts weren’t what they were and they weren’t themselves.

But a place like that didn’t exist.

“I thought it would be better to do this in person,” Logansaid.

“Maybe once you tell me whatthisis I can agree.Or disagree.”

“Last night was amazing.” He steeled himself before he saidwhat he knew he had to say next. “You’reamazing. But it can never happenagain.”

“Oh.” Connor cast his eyes to his lap and nodded, probablyto hide how much this had wounded him. “Okay, then.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“I don’t, actually, but it didn’t sound like a question so…”

“Okay. Let me explain. I didn’t want to drown you in myfamily drama last night because I didn’t want to come off like I wasmanipulating the boss.”

“I’m not your boss.”

“You’re two steps removed. What I’m saying is my familysituation is really serious. And I need this job. Badly.”

“And you think I’d do something to endanger your job. Inthat Rolls-Royce.”

“Or someone else would have an opinion about what we did inthat Rolls-Royce and it would cause trouble for both of us.”

“Did you get in trouble with Rodney last night?” Connor satforward.

He thought of Rodney Harcourt’s menacing smiles and smellyscotch. Saw spunky little Connor shouting at his uncle because Logan hadrepeated the contents of their meeting, the blowback coming down on Loganbefore Connor had a chance to rein in his temper. In short, he saw land mineseverywhere he looked. Maybe this coffee meeting by itself was a terrible, dangerousidea. Maybe ghosting Connor altogether would have been safer for everyone. Buthe couldn’t bring himself to do it.

And he was already doing this, so he had to see it through.

“No.” It was sort of true, wasn’t it? Rodney had made him astrange, passive-aggressive offer, a terrible offer. But he hadn’t disciplinedhim. That might come later. If he rejected the offer.

“Does he know we went down to the caves?” Connor asked.

“No.” This felt less like a lie than his previous answer. IfRodney did know, he hadn’t let on.

“But you’re afraid he’ll find out and you’ll get introuble?” Connor asked.

“I don’t know,” he lied. “I don’t know the hotel. I don’tknow your family. To be honest, I don’t know you.”

Connor’s baby blues blazed with anger. “Well, I sort of thoughtthat was the whole point of you inviting me here. So you could get to know mebetter.”

“I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

Connor looked as if Logan had thrown water in his face. “Oh,okay.”

“Jesus. That did not come out right.”

“No, I mean. It makes sense. A guy like you could hop onGrindr and find a dozen guys like me in a heartbeat.”

“That’s not what I meant, and it’s not true.”

“It is true. You’re tall and gorgeous with a deep, manlyvoice and a huge…neck. You’re like gay gold in the world of Internet hookups.”

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