Chapter 6: Logan

Logan woke with a raging hard-on. Even after he’d jacked off the night before, it still wasn’t enough and he ended up having a very restless night of sleep.

His eyes opened with one thought on his mind: Reed Luxe. Logan couldn’t stop thinking about Reed jerking off last night. At first, he couldn’t make out what the sound was, so he pinned his ear to the paper-thin walls until he heard the distinct sound of Reed’s low moans. Frozen to the spot, he strained against the wall, listening to Reed pleasure himself.

The sounds turned me on something crazy.

After Reed went quiet, Logan hit the shower, braced one hand against the tiled wall and with the other, he furiously pumped at his engorged cock. He came hard and fast, picturing Reed’s flushed face.

Now, in the early hours of the morning, Logan couldn’t quite explain his feelings.

Sure, he’d had plenty of gay friends in the Navy and once or twice, his buddies even teased him about also being gay, but he’d never really considered it. When he thought about it, Logan had been with plenty of women, but truth be told, he was never one hundred percent invested in the sex. It was just an act to get off.

Yet, in comparison, when he’d pictured Reed’s face while he was in the shower last night, the pleasure he got from his orgasm was a lot more intense than he’d ever felt before.

Logan furrowed his brows together, throwing off the sheets. Now was not the time nor the place to be entertaining such thoughts.

Reed is a client.

Nothing more.

Reed flung open the door with a smile after Logan rapped twice. “Morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Fine. Ready to go?”

Reed’s smile faltered and for a second, Logan felt a little bad for being so short. Then he reminded himself that he was here to be Reed’s bodyguard.

Not his buddy…or anything else.

“Yeah, sure. Let me just grab my bag.”

Logan pulled on his aviators and watched from outside as Reed spun back around. Today he was wearing a floral, short-sleeved shirt and pale blue chino shorts. In contrast, Logan was dressed in a black t-shirt and faded grey jeans. What Logan’s palette lacked in color, Reed more than made up in leaps and bounds. Logan looked away, his brows furrowing. It was interesting how their choice of clothes reflected their personalities. Logan shook his head—no point entertaining such thoughts.

No one would want to be dragged down with me.

When Reed stepped back outside, Logan grabbed his bag and they made their way to the SUV. He instructed Reed to wait while he went and checked them out.

Soon after, they were back on the road, only a few hours left until they’d arrive at Reed’s childhood home.

Logan noticed that Reed was unusually quiet over breakfast, merely picking at his blueberry muffin. Now, as they were driving along, he saw that Reed’s hands were gripping the seats.

“How you feeling?”

At first Reed didn’t answer and Logan thought it was intentional. After all, he’d made his feelings very clear about not wanting to come back.

“Sick.”

Reed’s voice was strained and he turned his head to look out the window. “I’ve forgotten just how beautiful it is here.”

Logan nodded, even though Reed couldn’t see. The scenery was breathtaking, a real feast for the eyes.

“We’ve got it all here, Logan. Mountains, woodland, lakes, waterfalls, volcanoes…” He paused for a moment, taking it all in. “I was so focused on getting out of here that I never really stopped to admire the beauty of the place I grew up in.”

“You mentioned bad memories?”

“Just a little.”

“I get that.”

Reed turned to him, a small smile on his face. “Ready to meet my parents?”

Logan felt an unexpected sense of nerves. It wasn’t a feeling he could explain so he pushed it aside. “Sure. Another fifteen minutes, until we arrive in Ridgeview Valley.”

Reed sighed heavily. “Sounds right.”

***

Their SUV pulled into a gate off the main road and they drove in silence along the bumpy path until a metal post came into sight, bearing the name Ridgeway View.

“This is us,” Reed announced. “Just a little further up.” He lowered his window and craned his neck around as the ranch came into view.

Logan’s first thought was that it looked like it came out of a storybook. The main house was painted white and had a huge porch that appeared to wrap around the entire width of the property.

It was surrounded by acres of land and in the distance, Logan could see a team of horses in a field, grazing away at the lush green grass.

As they pulled up to the main house, two yellow Labrador retriever dogs rounded the corner, barking at the oncoming vehicle.

Reed’s hand flew to his mouth and Logan could see his eyes were misty.

“Oh my God.” His voice cracked. “I’ve missed them so much.”

Logan halted the vehicle and without another word, Reed tugged on the door handle and stepped out of the SUV, crouching down at the dogs, his arms outstretched.

The Labs immediately stopped barking. The next second, they charged, closing the distance between them and Reed and then they were literally all over him, each climbing over each other to get to Reed first, practically licking him to death.

Logan’s heart pulled at the scene in the scene in front of him. Reed was howling in laughter, rolling on the grass with them. He was trying his best to cuddle both dogs, but at the same time, failing miserably at covering his face from their enthusiastic tongues and paws.

Smiling, Logan pulled on his door handle, stepping out of the vehicle. The dogs backed up from Reed, and protectively stood in front of him, while Reed wiped his face with his shirt. Then he bent down to talk into their ears.

“It’s okay. Misty, Buddy—this is my friend, Logan. Go say hello.”

At Reed’s signal, Logan held out the back of his hand and the dogs cautiously approached, sniffing him. When he sensed it was okay, Logan reached out to give their heads a little scratch and then one of them—Misty?—licked him. That was all it took. The next second, Logan found himself grinning as the Labs lavished their attention on him as well.

“Check you out,” Reed laughed. “I think they like you.”

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

Logan looked up at the female voice coming from a few feet away. He was positive this was Mrs. Luxe; it was clear who Reed got his looks from.

Logan stepped back as her hands flew to her mouth when she spotted Reed. Her brown eyes—the very same ones that Reed inherited—filled with tears. The next second, her arms flew out in front of her, and she came running towards them.

“Mom.” Reed’s voice was choked, and he closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her petite frame and lifting her off the ground. He spun her around until she slapped him playfully on his back.

“Put me down this instant, Reed,” she laughed.

Logan almost felt bad for being there, like he was intruding on this private moment, but then Reed turned to him, with a smile so bright, he had to catch his breath.

“Logan, I’d like you to meet my mom, Susan.” He turned to his mom, smiling.

Logan stepped forward as the older lady eyed them both and he could almost see the cog of wheels turning in her head, as she tried to figure out their relationship and what they were doing here. He pulled off his shades and held out his hand, with a pleasant smile. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Luxe.”

She gripped his hand and gestured with the other, waving him away. “Oh, please call me Susan, Logan. We don’t like to do the formal thing around here.”

“Susan, it is.” He released her hand and waited for Reed’s move.

“Well, boys, come on in. Reed, your father’s in the barn but he’ll be in any sec.” She linked arms with Reed, beaming up at him. “Let’s go inside and make some coffee. I’ve just baked a lemon cake which should be cool now and then you can tell me why you’re here. Not that I mind of course, but this is kind of a shock, son.”

“We’ll explain everything, Mom.”

Logan followed behind them as they stepped into the house. It was exactly how he’d imagined a ranch house to be—rustic and welcoming. The smell of cake filled the kitchen when they entered and for a second Logan imagined what life must have been life for Reed growing up in this warm and pleasant environment. Such a stark contrast to mine.

They took a seat at the large rectangular table as Susan got to work in the kitchen, grabbing plates, mugs and various other items. Logan ran his hands over the wooden grain, admiring its authenticity.

Reed caught his gaze. “This table’s been here since before I was born. I’ve shared so many meals and good times with friends right here.”

Logan’s mouth lifted at the corners at he watched Reed’s faraway gaze.

“I remember coming home from school with the guys and Mom always having some form of baked goods waiting for us, in the kitchen. It almost became a game for us—guessing what treat she’s baked that day.”

“You guys are real tight, huh?”

“Yeah, for sure. We’ve all been through a lot together.”

The back door opened, temporarily highlighting a stream of sunlight. Logan’s gaze landed on the tall, older man with weathered skin, dressed in overalls and carrying his Stetson in his hand. At first, he didn’t see them in the corner, but Reed stood and his attention was drawn his way.

The Stetson slipped away from his grasp, landing on the tiled floor and his jaw hung. It took him a good thirty seconds to compose himself, his mouth opening and closing once again. At last, he found his tongue. “Reed, what a pleasant surprise! But what in the world are you doing here?”

Reed moved towards him and threw his arms around his neck. “Hi, Dad. So good to see you. I promise, I’ll explain everything soon.”

Introductions were made once again, and even though George Luxe seemed a little apprehensive, Logan was made to feel welcome. The love and respect for each other, flowing through the family, was apparent. It raised further questions for Logan about why Reed never visited.

Soon they were all seated around the table, Reed and Logan, next to each other, facing the other couple. They sipped on their steaming mugs of coffee and nibbled on cake as Reed explained his situation to them. When he described what happened two nights ago, his mother, tense with worry, released a loud sob and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oh my God, Reedie. Why would anyone want to harm you?” She turned to Logan, questions reflecting in her tear-soaked eyes.

“Reed hasn’t done anyone harm, Susan. Because he’s in the spotlight, he’s drawn attention to himself, and these types of stalker cases are unfortunately quite common. I just wanted to take extra precaution and get Reed out of San Francisco.”

“Thank you for looking after our son, Logan. You saved his life.” George’s voice was clear with gratitude and Logan ducked his head with embarrassment.

“Just doing my job, sir,” he mumbled.

“Sorry we couldn’t give you a heads up on our arrival, but Logan thought it best to go under the radar, so to speak. I assume it’s okay if we stay here for a few days?”

Logan glanced at Reed. It was going to be more than a few days and he thought it best to be straight with Susan and Bob. “Ideally, yes, a few days as we all want the stalker to be caught, but,” he looked at Reed and caught his eye, “it may take up to a couple of weeks to ensure his safety, once the threat has been neutralized.”

“Certainly,” George replied. “You’re both welcome here for as long as you want to stay. Reed’s safety is all we care about.” He smiled at his wife and reached over for her hand. “I know it’s not under the best circumstances, but we’re so happy to have our boy back home.”

Susan nodded, wiping away her tears with her other hand. “We need to have a reason why Logan is here so as not to arouse any suspicion.” She knitted her brows in concentration. “It’s a small town and people talk.”

Reed looked at Logan, a small smile spreading over his face. “I think I have the perfect reason.”

Logan raised an eyebrow.

“We’ll pretend Logan’s my boyfriend.”

Logan swallowed hard, three sets of eyes on him, waiting for his decision.

Before he could think it through, the words were out of his mouth. “Done.”

Reed grinned. “Oh honey, you don’t know what you’re in for.”