Tease (Temptation Series Book 4)

by Ella Frank

  “That’s understandable. I can’t even imagine,” Logan said, and when he heard a high-pitched squeal, his head snapped around to see Lila on her feet clapping and jigging up and down in an adorably uncoordinated dance. He assumed she thought it was similar to the one the purple dinosaur on the TV was doing—she was wrong.

  When Tate chuckled, Logan looked back at him and said, “Kids.” Then he shook his head. “I swear she gives me another grey hair each time we watch them.”

  Finally, Tate’s eyes lit up as his lips curved and he raised his hand to run it through Logan’s hair.

  “Nope. I see no grey,” Tate said, and bent his head to take Logan’s lips in a sweet kiss. Logan melted into the touch, and when Tate raised his head, he whispered, “Thank you.” Logan narrowed his eyes, and Tate said, “You’re always here when I need you the most.”

  Logan let his hand fall away so he could take hold of Tate’s, and once their fingers were entwined, he brought them to his lips, kissed them, and said, “Where else would I be? You’re where my heart is. So that’s where I stay.”

  A COUPLE OF hours later, the pizza had been eaten and the sundaes devoured and Logan had taken Thomas into the bathroom to clean up. Tate had settled in on the couch and was watching Lila as she brushed the hair of the doll she was playing with.

  He’d been looking forward to this time with Logan and the kids all week, and he hated that Jill, of all people, had ruined that for him. With only a handful of words, she’d managed to turn him into a fucking basket case, and Logan knew it. He could read Tate better than anyone else, and trying to hide shit from him was just pointless. Especially when it was something as big as this.

  Tate shifted on the couch, unable to get comfortable as he sat there thinking about the run-in with his sister. He went over her words in his head, trying to find the catch in them. Trying to find the lie she must’ve been telling. Because there was no way she could’ve meant what she said. Was there?

  This was the woman who’d flinched away from him that first time she’d seen him with Logan. The same woman who’d spewed words of hatred his way and then showed no regard to his feelings whatsoever as she and Diana had gone and destroyed any hope he had of telling his mother about Logan. This was the woman who had so callously cut him from her life instead of trying to for one second understand what he was going through.

  And now she wants me to just…call her?

  It was as though all of the ugliness from back then had come crashing back in and he was once again covered in the rank stench of their disapproval. And he hated that they still had the ability to make him feel that way, even after all this time.

  “You brush.” Lila’s voice cut into Tate’s thoughts, and had him smiling down at the doll she was holding up to him. Tate took it and the small pink brush she held out, and then Lila climbed up to sit on the couch beside him.

  “She’s very pretty,” he said as he stroked the brush through the doll’s wavy black hair, then winked at Lila. “Like her mommy.”

  Lila grabbed hold of his bicep and pulled herself up until she was standing beside him, and then he felt her small palm stroke over his hair, mimicking the actions of a brush.

  Ever since Lila had been born, he’d gravitated toward her. With her shock of black hair and big blue eyes, she was the spitting image of Rachel, and from the minute she’d been put in his arms, the love affair had begun. It worked out perfectly, really, because Thomas was all about—

  “Uncle Logan, can we watch Minions now?”

  Tate looked over to the bathroom where Thomas was bouncing on his toes beside Logan, who’d rolled the sleeves of his black shirt up his arms.

  “That was the deal,” Logan said, as Thomas parked it on the rug. “You helped with dinner and ate everything on your plate so, yep, that means it’s Minions time.”

  Tate couldn’t help his chuckle at Logan’s grimace. They must’ve seen Minions at least five times now, ever since Cole had suggested it one afternoon they’d babysat—stating it was payback for all the trouble Logan had ever given him—and that was the day Thomas had declared it was his favorite.

  Once Logan started the movie, he snatched up the remote and came over to the couch to sit on the other side of Lila. “You’re good at that,” he said, looking at the braid Tate hadn’t realized he was even doing.

  Huh…seemed Jill had even managed to sneak her way into his subconscious.

  “Guess that’s what happens when you grow up with a sister,” Tate said, and Logan’s eyes immediately softened. Tate looked away to check his handiwork again before he handed the doll back to Lila. “Here you go, little miss.”

  “Thanks,” she said, and brought the doll to her chest in a tight hug before she turned, looked at Logan, and pointed to her cheek. “Kiss?”

  Logan scrunched his nose up at her and shook his head. “I don’t wanna.”

  Lila giggled and playfully shoved his shoulder, leaning into him. “Kiss,” she said again. This new habit of hers was one hundred percent irresistible.

  But Logan looked away from her, playing hard to get. “Nope.”

  The doll was dropped and forgotten as Lila, determined now, climbed over Logan’s leg, grabbed either side of his face, and planted a big raspberry kiss on him.

  A hearty laugh came from Logan, and in a flash he swooped her up and tackled her down onto the couch by Tate’s leg. He kissed both of her cheeks, and as she laughed and squealed in delight, Tate couldn’t stop himself from joining in.

  Wow. Who would’ve, or could’ve, ever imagined Logan Mitchell like this? He was perfect with them. Completely and utterly perfect. And when Logan glanced up and locked smiling eyes with Tate, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down, cradling Logan’s cheek, and stealing a kiss for himself.

  Lila clapped when Tate raised his head, and then, as she always did, she declared, “Again!”

  Tate chuckled. “She is definitely related to you.”

  Logan’s lips quirked, and he shrugged. “Well, yeah. She’s obviously a genius. Now you better hurry up and do what she says. Or things might get ugly.”

  Tate glanced down at the grinning Lila. “Highly doubtful,” Tate said, but took hold of Logan’s face and whispered against his lips, “But you’re pretty hard to resist right now.”

  As Tate kissed him again, Logan smiled against his mouth, and when he pulled away, Logan looked down at Lila, who gave him a huge grin.

  “Happy?” he asked her, and when she nodded, Logan looked back to Tate and said, “I better be just as irresistible without the aid of a two-and-a-half-year-old, because this… This is a temporary thing.”

  Logan’s expression had Tate laughing so hard he kissed Logan once more for good measure, because just like always, Logan had managed to take every other worry off his mind.

  AS THE MINIONS finally—thank God—came to an end, Thomas was passed out on the sleeping bag he’d spread out halfway through the movie, and Lila was snuggled in against Tate’s side with her eyes shut and her thumb shoved in her mouth.

  Logan was lounging on one side of the couch as he stared across the now silent space to where Tate had his arm wrapped around the little girl, and when he picked up the remote and switched off the TV, Tate glanced over at him.

  “Why do I get the feeling I’ve been replaced tonight?” Logan asked.

  Tate placed his elbow on the arm of the couch and rested his head in his palm. “Never. You’re stuck with me forever.”

  As the lamplight played over Tate’s features, Logan enjoyed the sheer pleasure of looking at him. The dark eyes, thick lashes, and kissable lips. “Forever’s a long time.”

  “What? Worried you couldn’t put up with me for that long?” Tate chuckled.

  “No,” Logan said, and his serious tone must’ve caught Tate’s attention, because he sobered instantly. “I’m worried it won’t be long enough.”

  And wasn’t that the truth. Something had changed in him over the last few months. Made him realize how s
pecial the man beside him really was. It wasn’t as though he could possibly love Tate any more than he already did. But maybe it’s a different layer? One that comes after years of being together? Logan thought. Or maybe it’s just because he looks perfect sitting there staring at me like he can’t imagine a day without me. Yeah, that’s probably it.

  Tate’s eyes wandered over him, and then he slowly shook his head. “It’s not fair to say something like that when I’m trapped all the way over here.”

  “No?” Logan said, as he got to his feet and wandered around the back of the couch. Tate’s eyes followed him as he went, until finally his head was tipped back on the cushions to look up. “What would you do if you weren’t trapped in place by a demanding woman?”

  “Come down here, and I’ll show you,” Tate whispered, and Logan placed his palms on the back of the couch on either side of his head and leaned down to brush his lips over Tate’s.

  As Logan slowly kissed and nipped at the mouth moving under his, Tate raised an arm up to slide his fingers through the back of his hair and hold him in place. A groan rumbled up Logan’s throat, and when it threatened to slip free, he slid his tongue between Tate’s lips and sealed their mouths together.

  Damn, he needed to stop this or he’d get zero sleep because he wouldn’t be able to relax, and then it’ll be hello, ceiling for the rest of the night.

  Logan lifted his lips and sighed. “To be continued…” he said. “Tomorrow. Now, you bring her. And I’ll get him.”

  Logan headed around the couch to pick up Thomas, as Tate got to his feet and scooped Lila up in his arms. Luckily, their bed was massive, since the second bedroom was set up as Logan’s office and, well, Tate’s storage unit ever since he’d moved in.

  They headed into their room and set the kids in the center of the mattress, and as Logan pulled the duvet over them, he looked up and saw Tate standing over in the bathroom doorway. He had one shoulder against the doorjamb, and his hands in the pockets of his shorts. A thoughtful look was stamped across his face as he studied the sleeping children, and once Logan had them covered, he came over to him and smiled.

  “You’re really good with them,” Logan said, as he stepped around Tate to go to the sink. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and then handed the tube to Tate. He rested his hip against the bathroom vanity, and Logan caught his grin in the mirror. “What?” he said before he stuck the toothbrush in his mouth.

  “You’re really good with them too, you know, Uncle Logan.” Logan rolled his eyes and started to brush, as Tate turned to face the mirror beside him and nodded. “You are. It’s kind of shocking, when I think about it too hard. But Thomas, he absolutely adores you.”

  Logan removed the toothbrush and spat into the sink, rinsing the basin as he said, “Well, he’s pretty adorable, so…”

  “So nothing,” Tate said, bumping into his side as Logan started brushing again. “Just admit it. You love being around those kids.”

  Logan finished, spat, then rinsed his mouth clean before he shoved his toothbrush in the holder and looked at Tate. “Of course I love being around them. I’m not a monster…”

  “But…” Tate said. “I hear a but in there somewhere.”

  “But,” Logan said, and took the step needed to close the distance between them. He placed his hands on Tate’s waist and couldn’t stop himself from slipping his fingers under the material to touch his warm skin. “I’m selfish. I’m sorry. Don’t hate me, but it’s who I am. Always has been. I go after what I want, remember? And I want you. Just you,” Logan said, and kissed his way up Tate’s jaw to his ear. “I wasn’t lying when I said forever wouldn’t be long enough.”

  “No?” Tate asked, dropping his toothbrush, forgotten, on the bathroom sink so he could grip the front of Logan’s shirt.

  “No,” Logan said, his breath ghosting over the curl by Tate’s ear. “It’s not long enough, because I’m just getting started.” And wow… Wasn’t that a revelation?

  “God, Logan,” Tate said, as he squeezed his eyes shut, and Logan knew he was having the same difficulty keeping himself in check that he was. When he seemed to finally get himself under control, Tate opened his eyes and said, “I don’t hate you.”

  “No?”

  Tate shook his head. “No. Why would I hate you? Because you don’t want kids? Did I ever say that I did?”

  “No. But we never really—”

  “Logan?”

  “Yeah?” Logan said, as he wrapped his arms around Tate’s waist, his fingers desperately looking for a way inside those shorts, even though there was nothing he could do about it tonight.

  “I think there’s something you need to remember about me.”

  “Oh? And what’s that?”

  Tate pulled back and picked up his toothbrush just when Logan would’ve slipped his hands inside the back of his pants, and then he grinned at him in the mirror and said, “I don’t share.”

  That night when Logan climbed into bed, he didn’t stare at the ceiling as he waited to fall asleep. No, instead he lay down beside his nephew and stared across the vast expanse of the California king at the man whose eyes were locked with his and knew he was right—they were just getting started.

  Chapter Sixteen

  COLE AND RACHEL showed up the following morning at eight thirty on the dot, just as they’d said they would, and Tate had to admit the two of them looked more relaxed than he’d seen them in months.

  Cole was dressed for the summer day in khaki shorts and a loose hunter-green shirt, and Rachel was particularly radiant with her bright smile and purple-highlighted ponytail swinging to and fro, as she stood in a white halter-neck dress that had red—are they poodles?—all over it. She looked retro and stylish, except for the odd green scarf she had wrapped around her neck. That didn’t match at all. Not that Tate was about to point that out.

  “Cole,” Logan said as he handed his brother the kids’ overnight bag. “How many times have I told you? If you’re going to bite your wife hard enough to leave a mark, do it where it’s not so obvious.”

  Well, I wasn’t going to mention it, Tate thought with a laugh as he handed Lila over to her mom.

  “I was just doing as I was told,” Cole said, which had Logan looking over at Rachel.

  “Good for you, Mom.”

  Cole shrugged the bag up his arm to his shoulder. “Speaking of doing as you’re told, I see one of my kids. Is the other one whole?”

  “Yes, Dad. I didn’t break any part of them,” Logan said, and Cole’s lips twitched. “Thomas, time to go.”

  “Mom! Dad!” Thomas said as he came barreling down the hall.

  “Hey there,” Cole said as he picked Thomas up and situated him on his shoulders. “Did you have fun?”

  “It was the best,” Thomas said as he used Cole’s blond head to balance with. “We made sundaes.”

  “The best sundaes I’ve had in years,” Tate said, giving Thomas a high-five.

  “It was all the sprinkles,” Thomas proclaimed, with all the certainty of a culinary expert.

  “I think you might be right,” Tate said, and stepped back beside Logan. “Remember that for next time.”

  As Cole put a hand on both of Thomas’s knees, he smiled at the both of them. “Thanks again, guys.”

  “Anytime,” Tate said, just as Logan said, “So this is a once-a-year deal, right?”

  Rachel laughed as she turned around to head out the front door. “Aww, poor Logan, did you actually have to think of someone other than yourself for the night?”

  “Excuse me, that is not accurate at all,” Logan said as they all walked up the hallway and out into the building’s corridor. “I think about Tate every night.”

  As Tate and Logan stood outside their door, the family of four stopped by the elevator, and Cole looked back at them and smirked.

  “I’m sure you do. But thank you. We really needed this weekend, and I never doubted you for a second, brother.”

  As the ding went off and
the elevator doors opened, Logan said, “Sure you didn’t.” But Tate knew how much Cole’s trust meant to Logan.

  “See you two next Sunday for lunch once you recuperate from the kiddos,” Rachel said with a wave, and then the Madisons disappeared inside the elevator, leaving the two of them in the silent hall.

  Tate turned to Logan, who was still looking at the empty hall, and took his hand. “What time is it?”

  Logan looked at his watch. “Just turned eight forty, why?”

  Tate grinned as he walked backward into their place, tugging Logan along with him.

  “Oh, I like that smile,” Logan said, following eagerly.

  “Do you?”

  “Mhmm,” Logan said, as he kicked the door shut and leaned back on it, pulling Tate into his body. “Want to tell me what you’re thinking?”

  Tate chuckled, knowing what was on his mind definitely wasn’t what was on Logan’s.

  He’s going to kill me, he thought, as Logan’s hands trailed over the denim covering his ass, so he could grab a cheek in each hand. Tate sighed as he placed a hand on either side of the wood by Logan’s head and stared at the handsome face only inches from his own.

  Okay, you need to ask him, he told himself. Just open your mouth and ask him.

  Last night, his father had left a voicemail asking if they’d want to attend today’s church service, since they’d be over that way today. It wasn’t that odd a request. It was something he had done regularly until four years ago. And after everything that had happened yesterday, he’d gotten to thinking it might be nice to sit in a church again, especially one he hadn’t grown up in. To absolve himself of all the guilt and thoughts that had been running through his head about his mother and sister—yeah, I’d like that. But he wanted Logan to come with him, and he knew convincing him was not going to be easy. In fact, it would likely involve bribes, and possibly chains, to drag him there. Logan didn’t do church. But…Logan hadn’t done relationships before him, either. So maybe? Maybe he’d do it this once. Just for him.