Silence stretches again—but it’s not heavy. It’s safe.
His thumb starts moving in slow circles along my back. “I meant it, you know. About wanting to love you out loud.”
“I believe you.”
“You don’t have to rush. I just… I want you to know I’m here. No matter what pace you need.”
That tight knot that’s lived under my ribs for years loosens a little more.
“I don’t deserve you,” I say before I can stop myself.
Logan tips my chin up gently, eyes finding mine in the dim light. “You deserveeverything.”
Then he leans in and kisses me—soft and slow and devastating in its tenderness.
It’s not about lust. It’s not about pressure. It’s just… us.
When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine again.
“Just so we’re clear,” he says, lips brushing mine, “next time you fuck with me under a hoodie on a bus and then say you don’t want to be obvious, I’m going to remind you ofthismoment.”
I snort, the sound muffled against his neck. “Noted.”
We stay like that until our breaths slow and the world fades out, nothing left but the warmth of his arms and the quiet echo of words I never thought I’d say—and meant with everything I have.
I love you, Logan Brooks.
TWENTY-SEVEN
LOGAN
The second he says it—I’mhead over heels in love with you, too, Romeo—the bottom drops out of me.
He said it back.
Pure joy filters in, lighting me up from the inside out. He loves me too. I don’t have to hold back.
A low laugh slips past my lips after a few minutes of quiet—just the two of us lying there, tangled and breathing and feeling everything.
“Say it again, Captain.”
He lifts his head from my neck and raises an eyebrow, like he doesn’t know exactly what I mean.
“Be a good boy and say it,” I order, voice low. His lips twitch like he’s fighting off a smug little smile.
I drag my fingers down the front of his hoodie, slowly and deliberately, then gather the fabric and start to tug it up, revealing the warm skin underneath. He shifts just enough to let me pull it over his head, and my hands don’t waste a second—roaming, teasing, exploring every inch I uncover.
He bites his lip, eyes locked on mine.
“Say it,” I growl, leaning in to nip at the corner of his mouth. His breath stutters. I trail soft bites along his jaw, then suck his earlobe between my teeth and bite that too. “Now.”
He moans, his hips twitching towards me like heneedsmore, and then he chokes out?—
“Noted.”
Idogrowl this time. Sharp and low.
He laughs—strangled and breathless—just as I nip at his throat.
