Chapter 7: Reed

Reed woke early the following morning, confused at first about where he was. He blinked a couple of times at the strange surroundings and then the reality of the situation landed on his chest.

He glanced around the guest room, taking in the neutral decor. His parents were remodeling one part of the house, so Logan and Reed were moved the other side, where the guest rooms were located.

Reed sighed and patted down the sheets with his hands. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table and realized it was a lot later than he’d expected. Despite his reluctance about coming back to his hometown, he had slept like a baby in his parent’s home.

He thought back to yesterday afternoon, when he’d suggested Logan pretend to be his boyfriend. Reed had no idea where that had sprung from, but the words felt great as they escaped his lips. He’d held his breath, thinking that Logan would be disgusted with his proposal, but was secretly fist pumping the air when he’d agreed.

Reed knew that it was just for the outside world, but for a moment, he closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like for Logan to be his real lover. Reed grew hot under the sheets, picturing himself between Logan’s strong muscular thighs, taking his cock into his mouth and sucking his length. He gave off an aura of power and grace and Reed would have loved that weight to shift over him while he pleasured and took control of Logan.

Shit, stop it.

He had a well-developed gaydar but Reed was confused with Logan and couldn’t help but wonder if he was bi. His heartbeat quickened at the thought—why else did Logan seem so nonplussed when he’d come up with the suggestion to pretend to be a couple?

Reed turned on his side and faced the door. Logan was given the room next to him and he wondered if he was still in bed too. His mind slipped to the other night, when he’d seen Logan in his tight boxers, running through the house, chasing after the stalker. Now he imagined what it would feel like to have those hard planes of Logan’s body gliding against his own…how his full lips would look amazing, wrapped around the head of his cock.

Reed couldn’t take it. He was desperate for a release, so he pulled himself out of bed and practically ran for the bathroom, just in case his mom decided to walk in. Thank goodness the room had its own attached bathroom.

Blowing out a measured breath, he grabbed his rock-hard cock and pumped furiously. He was so worked up with heat rolling off him like flames. It didn’t take long before Reed came even harder than the night before, silently crying out Logan’s name over and over on his lips.

“Morning, all.” Three sets of heads looked up from their breakfast plates. Reed’s eyes locked with Logan and he felt himself flush at the thought of what he did upstairs a short while ago.

Logan’s plate looked almost empty from the cooked breakfast so it appeared that he was up early.

“Hey, sweetie. How’d you sleep?”

“Good, Mom. Didn’t realize the time.” Reed slipped into the seat opposite Logan and helped himself to coffee.

George pointed to Logan with his fork, a smile on his face. “Logan’s been up for a couple of hours already, I gave him the shortened tour of the ranch. Then you went for a run, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I can see I’m going to have to keep on top of my exercise, judging from the portions Susan’s feeding us.” He shot a wink at Reed’s mother, and she beamed with pride.

Reed smiled at Logan. He was so happy and relieved that they were getting on well. Additionally, he was grateful that Logan was making such an effort with his parents. “Glad you’re settling in well. I’ll try and come up with some stuff for us to do while we’re here so that we don’t get bored.” He grinned at his father. “No offense, Dad.”

George cleared his throat, while Reed helped himself to eggs and toast. “Your mother and I were talking about that.”

Reed reached for the butter. “Oh, what about?”

“I’ve already talked it over with Logan, earlier. We really need some help on the ranch. Maybe for a week or so and we’d like you both to help out.”

Startled, Reed’s knife slipped and dropped to his plate, his eyes widening. “What?”

His father nodded. “That’s right. I’m a couple of men down—one with a family emergency and the other is injured. I’d really appreciate the help as it’s our livelihood here at stake.” George’s voice was firm.

Reed crossed his arms, his brows flattened, refusing to look at Logan. “Dad, I can’t.”

“Reed, this isn’t a hotel with special treatment. I don’t care if you’re a fashion hotshot out there—in here, you’re my son and I expect you to pull your weight. For the family.”

Reed’s mouth hung open and he looked to Logan for support. Logan gave him a tight smile, with a slight shake of his head. “How can you expect me to work on a ranch, Dad? I haven’t done this type of manual labor in over nine years.” He stuck his hands out in front of him, turning them over for his father. “Look at my hands. They’ll get calluses and will be ruined for my work.”

“Calm down,” Susan interrupted. “No one said you’re going to be lugging bales of hay or anything. We just asking for a little light work around the place until our guys are back.”

“It’s okay, Reed. You’ll be fine.” Logan’s calm voice cut through Reed’s panic and for whatever reason, it seemed to work. His heart rate began to slow down and in turn, he inhaled a few deep breaths. Nodding his head, he looked at his father.

“Fine. I’m happy to help, but nothing too strenuous. I’ve got to get back and start work on my new collection and I can’t be worn out and exhausted. Goodness knows, I’m stressed out enough as it is.” Reed made a dramatic show of fanning his face.

“I think you better start with the stables.” George looked at them earnestly. “I’m sorry to start you on that job but it’s not been cleaned for a day—we were too busy yesterday.”

***

“This is so disgusting. Ewww. The smell is gross.”

Logan merely smiled as he continued to muck out the stables. Reed couldn’t believe how at home Logan looked here, pleased as punch to be clearing out the stinking shit. It was monotonous work—scooping up the soiled hay, depositing it into the wheelbarrow and then the same thing again. Over and over. Reed drew his hand over his brow, wiping away the moisture covering his forehead.

He needed to get out of there for a minute. The rancid air was enough to make him feel nauseated. He flung down his pitchfork and stormed away.

Stepping out into the sunshine, Reed took in a few cleansing breaths and leaned up against the wall, feeling incredibly sorry for himself. This was not what he expected at all.

When Logan said they’d needed to get away, he immediately pictured a remote cabin in the woods, picturesque surroundings, and a roaring log fire to warm them at night. He certainly wasn’t prepared to be standing in a barn, which stank of urine and shit. Which I have to clean out.

He glanced at his watch. Later, he decided, he’d place a call to Kellen to find out if there was any further news on his stalker. The faster he got out of here, the better.

Reed looked over his shoulder and his mouth watered at the sight in front of him.

It was hot inside the barn and since he stepped outside, Logan had decided to take off his shirt. He was now standing there, concentrating on the job at hand, with his abs rippling with movement. Reed sucked in a breath. Logan’s chest and abs were a work of art—a wall of hard, sexy and tattooed muscle, peppered with a light sheen of sweat. Reed involuntarily licked his lips, feeling his heart rate pick up and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from that delicious sight.

“You gonna stare at me all day or you gonna pull your weight?”

A slow grin spread over Reed’s face. “Can’t blame a man for looking. That’s a mighty fine sight to behold.”

“Move your ass in here and get to work so we can get the hell out of this stench-pit.”

Reed rolled his eyes. “Jeez, when you say it so nicely, how can I refuse?”

Thankfully, both men were on the same page, and they soon found themselves in a rhythm with the task at hand. Reed was hoping for some conversation, but as usual, Logan preferred the silence. Irritated with the lack of response, Reed pulled out his ear buds, plugged them into his phone and selected a playlist. He purposely turned his back to Logan and sang along to the ‘90s power ballads album, while collecting the debris. Funny how the smell didn’t seem quite so bad now, as if that hidden part of his brain was reawakening to the sights and smells of the ranch once again.

When one of his favorite songs came on, he whooped out loud and let loose, closing his eyes and dancing around the handle of his pitchfork, leaning in and pretending it was a microphone. Singing the lyrics with as much emotion as he could muster, Reed almost forgot he was in a barn, acting as if he were on stage instead, giving the performance of his life.

Since the music was so loud and his eyes were closed, Reed didn’t realize Logan was trying to get his attention. The next second, caught up in the moment of spinning around, his eyes flicked open when Logan grabbed his shoulder. Momentarily stunned, Reed’s foot got caught on the tool, mid spin and his eyes bulged when he tripped over his own feet. Throwing his arms out in front of him to break his fall, he squeezed his eyes shut as he went flying to the ground.

Except instead of hitting the cold floor, he found himself pressed up against Logan’s hard chest, who took the fall. Fluttering his eyes open, he looked down to see Logan’s arms wrapped around his waist, their bodies lined up in perfect harmony against each other, with their faces mere inches apart. Reed’s mouth fell open, but he was transfixed at the sensation of feeling Logan underneath him, savoring the moment he’d dreamt of, making no attempt to move. Logan’s ocean-blue eyes held his, neither speaking for several moments.

Reed covered his mouth with his hand, suddenly embarrassed. “Oh shit, Logan.”

“Literally.” Logan winced. “I’ve been in worse, but I gotta say, it’s not the best feeling to be lying on top of horse shit.”

Reed gasped and scrambled out of the other’s man’s grip, much as he hated to lose the contact. Besides, he could feel himself getting excited and the last thing he wanted was for Logan to feel uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled as he pushed himself away.

Standing, Reed offered his hand and pulled Logan up to his full height. Then he stepped around him to assess the damage, wrinkling his nose in disgust to see Logan’s back covered in manure.

Reed didn’t know what came over him, but he started to laugh. Maybe it was the fact that Logan looked utterly ridiculous and helpless, which was a complete contrast to his usual, impassive self. The more he looked, the more he laughed, until tears began to stream down his face.

“Fucker.” Logan hissed at him, but the corners of his mouth pulled and before long, he was laughing right along with Reed.