Page 3 of Bound in Blood
And just like that, Logan was alone with the twins.
He turned, wiping down the counter and gathering empty glasses, but he couldfeeltheir gazes still pinned on him. A weighted kind of attention. When he risked a glance up, Mateo was leaning forward slightly, golden eyes gleaming with something calculated.Interested.
A predator, assessing his prey.
“So,” he began, voice dripping with a casual charm, “What happens after you finish up here? You gonna head home and dream about us?”
Logan paused mid-motion, condensation from someone’s long-abandoned glass dripping down his wrist. “That depends,” he replied, “Are you asking to walk me home? Ask my dad permission to give me a kiss goodnight at the door?” He cut his gaze toward Marco, “One cheek each?”
Mateo chuckled, grin widening. “You still live with your dad,tesoro?*?”
“Well, no, but?—”
Marco, who had been nursing the same glass of whiskey for the last hour and didn’t look quite ready to hand it over yet, looked up then. “It would be safer than walking home alone.”
“Didn’t you two just get onto Alexei for acting like my mom?” Logan narrowed his eyes slightly, torn somewhere between skepticism, curiosity, and the desire to be sandwiched between two incredibly attractive men.
“Maybe...” Mateo said thoughtfully. “But what if youdoget mugged on your way home? And we’re not there to protect you.”
“Protecting dear old me from the big, scary city? Gosh, mister, nobodyevergets mugged in Texas! I’m mighty scared.” Logan rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Just a little.
Marco barked a laugh, surprising the hell out of Logan, who nearly dropped the glass he was still holding. Mateo looked at his brother, a slight expression of shock on his face that was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Let us walk you home,bello?*.I promise we’ll be the epitome of gentlemen.”
Logan busied himself rinsing glasses, going through the motions to calm his restless hands. He should definitely say no. Finish his shift, go home, and sit in his apartment alone like he always did.
But the way Mateo was watching him—sharp and expectant, that playful challenge in his eyes—and Marco, for all his quietness, had a look about him that made Logan’s stomach flip. Not teasing, not daring. Just…watching.Like he was waiting for Logan to make his move.
Like he already knew how this would end.
“I have to finish closing.” Logan said finally. “It’s going to take me at least another half hour.”
“I’m not hearing a no?” Mateo pointed out, leaning just a little bit closer.
“You haven’t heard a yes, either,” Logan replied, rolling his eyes. There was no stopping the corner of his mouth from twitching into a smirk, though.
Mateo leaned his chin on his hand, watching Logan carefully as he finished washing the glasses, setting the last one upside down on the drying rack. “I think I did, though. You finish up, we walk you home, and then you thank me for my trouble with your phone number?”
Marco made a sound low in his throat, somewhere between amusement and exasperation, “Or you let us make sure you make it home safe, no ulterior motives.”
“You are such a buzzkill.” Mateo sighed, elbowing his brother.
“And you’re scaring him. If he wants our company, you won’t have to coerce him.” Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Logan huffed a laugh, turning to face the two twins. Thiswasa bad idea, right? Letting two strangers walk him home? Yes, they wereincrediblyattractive, but so was Ted Bundy. Hot did not mean trustworthy, and for all he knew, they were a couple of serial killers.
He glanced toward the door, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Maybe he should tell them a friend was already picking him up. Call an Uber and avoid the entire situation entirely. Sure,Logan hadn’t hooked up with anyone since moving here, but that was safe. Predictable. The smart thing to do, really.
But…God, that smile on Mateo’s face was downright sinful, and Marco’s quiet, watchful presence made something in Logan’s chest feel tight and warm all at once.
Fuck… it was just a walk home, right? He wasn’t committing tomarriage.
Logan exhaled slowly, like he was standing at the edge of something, and he knew, deep down, he was about to fall. Hisgut was telling him this was averybad idea. But his gut also hadn’t had sex in over a year, so maybe it could shut the hell up.
“If you’re quiet while I finish up, you can walk me home.”
Even as the words left his mouth, Logan wasn’t sure if he was making the best decision of his life or a very, very stupid one.
* Pronounced ‘Zaychik.’ While Marco is technically correct and this is a term of endearment for children, itcanalso be used in the context of lovers.
