“Did you?”
“Yes,” Tate admitted. “At first, I thought I was looking for the man who gave me a nice tip, but now…”
Logan shifted his arm across the back of the couch—an invitation Tate couldn’t resist when it came to getting closer to all of that naked skin.
“But now?”
“Now, I know I just couldn’t wait to see you.” He watched Logan’s thick lashes sweep against his cheeks as he blinked, and then he leaned over to place a kiss by his ear. “I’m so glad you kept coming back. Did I ever tell you that?”
“You’re being very sweet to me this morning. Not that I’m complaining,” Logan laughed, turning his head so their noses practically touched. “But stop avoiding the issue and talk to me. Tell me what you want to do with your life so I can be a part of it.”
Tate put a hand on Logan’s chest and took his lips in a slow kiss. As his mouth parted, Tate slid inside and groaned at the way Logan’s tongue tangled with his. The kiss was unhurried; it was familiar. And when Logan’s fingers came up to graze his cheek, Tate relished the heat that simmered just beneath the surface. With Logan, it was always there, always the same, even when the emotion behind the action was different, and Tate wondered how he’d ever lived without it.
Reluctantly, he pulled away and put his head against the arm Logan had resting along the back of the couch. He then looked up into the blue eyes watching him and said, “I’ve always wanted to open my own bar.”
He waited, almost expecting Logan to laugh even though he’d already told him he wouldn’t.
“I know it would be a lot of hard work and probably more expensive than I could ever imagine. But I got my business degree specifically for that reason. I’ve always wanted to run my own place.”
As Logan remained silent, Tate started to feel self-conscious. He didn’t know what Logan was thinking. Since he worked closely with and likely represented people who owned such establishments, he probably realized what a pipe dream it was.
He probably thinks I’m crazy.
“I think you’d run a fantastic bar,” Logan finally said, shocking the hell out of him.
“You do?”
The genuine smile that crossed Logan’s lips had Tate returning the gesture.
“Yes, I do. You’re incredibly personable, and I, for one, have seen what a good rapport you have with customers. Have you looked into it at all? Owning your own place?”
Tate knew he must have looked stunned because Logan laughed.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I—”
“Tate?” Logan interrupted, grabbing him and pulling him into his arms. “I think you could do whatever you put your mind to, but this? I can definitely see you doing this. By the way, how did I not know you went to school for business?”
Tate shrugged. “It never came up, I guess. I didn’t want to go to a university straight out of school, so I got a full-time job and then paid my way through night school. When I turned twenty-one, I got a job at a local pub, and the rest is history.”
“Huh. Any other secrets you’re hiding away?”
Tate pretended to think it over. “Hmm. Not that I can think of right now.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yep.”
Logan settled deeper into the couch, drawing Tate down with him.
“So, you really think I could do this?” Tate asked, tracing his finger across Logan’s chest and swirling it around his nipple. “I mean, I’d have a lot to research before I could even consider it plausible. Loans, licenses, properties… It would be a huge undertaking.”
“It would be,” Logan agreed, playing with his hair. “If you wanted…” he started but paused as if he weren’t sure whether or not what he was about to say would be welcome.
Tate pushed up a little and asked, “If I wanted…what?”
“I was just going to say if you’d like some help, I’d be more than happy to, you know, help in any way.” Logan gave a nonchalant shrug as if he would be fine either way, no matter what his answer was.
But somehow, Tate knew that Logan wanted to be more involved than he was letting on.
“I’d like that,” he told him, and the expression that came into Logan’s eyes was well worth all the nerves and any embarrassment he’d felt in telling him what he wanted to do with his future.
* * *
Logan couldn’t help the grin he knew he was aiming Tate’s way. When he’d finally told him what he’d been thinking about, Logan couldn’t have been more excited for him.