Page 10 of Yours To Save

Logan had never been a big or overly muscular dude. Working long hours in construction, had simply leaned his muscles and gave him an agile athletic look. After the accident and long months of recovery he couldn’t exert himself all that much anymore, but he kept fit with Morpheus, going on runs and long walks, then doing some of his Pilates stretching exercises they had taught him during his rehabilitation. He should probably do those daily, but so far was able to lock down at least three days a week and that was a small victory. He marked his workouts on another board, and he grinned, happy that that board was actually in his office. Unless Sammy had gone through the whole house silent like a mouse, he wouldn’t have been able to see it.

He wondered if Sammy worked out. He definitely looked lean and …For fuck’s sake!

He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, just now realizing like a total tool that Sammy would be sleeping on the couch. If he was awake, he would see him standing there being a creep. He stood at the foot of the stairs, listening intently. Luckily for Logan, he wasn’t. He could hear Sammy’s soft snores through the open floor plan of his living room, and he exhaled with relief and shuffled quietly to the bathroom.

Just as he suspected, Sammy’s stuff was in a muddy pile on the floor and after carefully checking the labels for washing instructions, he tossed them all in the washing machine. For a dude with such an expensive car, his clothes weren’t really all that high end after all. But there was no denying that no matter what he was wearing and even covered in mud, Sammy had looked well put together and just…hot.

Logan paused in front of the washing machine, still holding Sammy’s t-shirt, rubbing his thumbs absentmindedly over the soft fabric. He had half a mind to bring it close enough to his face so he could catch some of his scent. He groaned and forced himself to snap out of it.

He had long known he was bi but had never had the opportunity to explore that side of himself. He had met Sophy very young. He had loved her so very much, that he was happy to let that part of him lay dormant and placid.

Sure, he had found guys attractive before, but he had been married and happily at that, so he just did what any normal person in a committed relationship would do – ignore his attraction to other people and go home and make love to his spouse.

The thought of being with another person intimately, after losing Sophy so suddenly, sickened him for a long time. He was grateful to his family, that at least in that aspect, they had let him be.

He felt his thoughts grow heavy again, and he pushed them away recognizing the upcoming downward spiral. He looked around the small bathroom and his eyes landed on Sammy’s shoes. Oh boy, they were completely wrecked. He couldn’t even tell what color they were or if they could even be saved at this point. He sighed. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway.

When he lifted the pair off the floor, they were heavy with mud. Logan took the showerhead and rinsed them over the bathtub and grinned when the pink shined through.Cute.

He washed them carefully inside and out, taking the laces off them and giving them a gentle soap wash. When they were as clean as they were ever going to be after the mud terror they had lived through, he gently dried them off with a towel.

He quietly shimmied to the fireplace and placed them a few feet away so they would dry overnight. He chose a thicker log that would burn slower and shoved it over the fading embers. The dry wood crackled as small flames began to crawl up the bark. He chanced a look at Sammy, who was now tucked into the warm Sherpa blanket like a burrito, with just his messy bun sticking from the top. The urge to lean over him and smell his clean hair, propelled Logan up the stairs, faster than he imagined possible.

Morpheus was snoring happily on his side of the bed, drooling over his pillow. He gently shoved him away and flipped the pillow over to the dry side and fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

He woke up,confused as most mornings, but not because of a nightmare. There were strange noises in his house, and it took him a while to remember he wasn’t alone. Morpheus was nowhere in sight, and he huffed with indignation that his own service dog had abandoned him in favor of a complete stranger. A very cute one, but a stranger, nonetheless.Oh, fuck me! Fucking stop it!

He was at the door when he caught sight of himself in the vanity mirror of his bathroom and decided a quick shower was definitely in order. He had shaved earlier that week and deemed his stubble neat enough. He brushed his teeth with real care for the first time in forever and then dressed in his favorite soft light-blue jeans and faded green hoodie.

He ran his fingers through his damp hair, pushing it back. It had grown a bit longer than how he normally wore it, not really reaching his neck, but definitely tickling his ears and falling in his eyes. He wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to style it anymore. Luckily for him, his thick black hair was perfectly straight and once it dried, it sat heavily, parting naturally over his right-side temple.

He stared at his reflection, wondering if his features were pleasing enough. Of course, Sophy always told him he was handsome, and how much she loved his blue eyes. Looking at himself in the mirror now, he only saw someone tired and scared. He swallowed and pushed the thoughts aside. His appearance didn’t matter. Sammy wasn’t going to waste his time looking at him. Certainly not after the way he had acted last night.

When he made his way down the stairs, he could smell green tea and the faint aroma of burned toast. Sammy had the kitchen door open, and Morpheus was quickly chewing up the evidence of his epic failure, making a mess on the floor. This made Logan chuckle and Sammy jumped startled then gave him a sheepish smile.

“I heard the shower and wanted to make you some toast but got distracted playing with Morpheus and I burned it a bit. I’m sorry about the mess, I was just about to make you another one.”

Logan waved him off. “It’s fine. I don’t really eat breakfast.”

Sammy smiled, but then pulled two more bits of bread and popped them in the toaster. “I’m starving!”

Logan flushed realizing he hadn’t asked Sammy if he had eaten anything last night.

“I’m such a dick. I’m so sorry for not asking if you were hungry yesterday,” he blurted out.

Sammy just shrugged his remark off. “I was too tired to think about food anyway.”

As if sensing Logan’s agitation had not subsided, Sammy went on, changing the subject. “Your home is lovely. And the view…” Sammy gestured to the large kitchen windows overlooking the lake. “It’s magical.”

Logan peered outside, and just as he had predicted yesterday, the thick cover of snow had transformed the gloomy forest and the dark waters of the lake into a winter wonderland. The sky was clear, and the sun was reflected from every frozen surface, giving the illusion that a million tiny sparkling diamonds covered the ground.

It was truly fucking magical. Logan hated himself for not being able to enjoy it, and instead immediately thinking about how stuck they were together. How Sammy was stuck there with him. The roads would be closed for sure, and the snowfall would most likely resume tonight. He frowned and when he turned to Sammy, he felt like a complete jackass, for fumbling through this social interaction in the worst possible way. The other man was still smiling, his beautiful brown eyes were deep and inviting, completely focused on him.

Logan chose to ignore how that made him feel. He took the tea Sammy had made for him, poured it into his thermos, put his thick winter coat on, then slipped on his boots, clicked his tongue at Morpheus and rushed through the back door. At the last moment, he was able to get his shit together and call over his shoulder, “I’ll clear the path around the veranda.” He shuffled to the small barn/garage /shed he had on the side of the house.

Sammy called after him, “Can I help?”

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