“Have to say, Logan, as far as first impressions go, being late isn’t a good one.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed as Chris started to walk in his direction, and he ordered himself to stay fucking still. He didn’t know what he would do if he moved, afraid he might launch himself at the smug bastard and punch him.
“Your appointment wasn’t until nine. It’s five minutes past. It’s not my fault you came early.”
Chris stopped when only a few feet separated them, lowering his eyes to Logan’s mouth.
“That’s certainly not how I remember it. You used to always be the reason I came early. You were so fucking sexy,” he mused. “You still are.”
Logan pushed away from his desk and straightened, telling himself to keep his mouth shut. No good could possibly come from engaging Chris in a visit down memory lane.
“You’re so quiet this morning,” he continued. “That’s unlike you. You really have nothing to say to me after all this time? After the way you left things?”
Nausea tightened Logan’s gut as he remembered the way he’d ended things with Chris. He’d been lying in a hospital room—one he’d put him in. Then he recalled everything that had led up to that moment and defiantly lifted his chin.
“If I hadn’t ended it that way, you would have. You’d done it before.”
Chris took another step closer and ran his eyes all over his face, which made Logan’s resolve to stay put fade real fucking fast. He wanted to get the hell out of there. Being around this guy made him feel like the weak, pathetic version of himself he used to be—not the self-assured man he was when he was with Tate.
Tate… God, what the hell did I do to deserve him?
When he stared back at Chris, he honestly had no fucking clue. He went to shove past him, but as their shoulders bumped, Chris grabbed his bicep, pulled him against his side, and lowered his mouth by his ear.
“You really don’t think about me at all? Come on, Logan. Your guard dog isn’t here now to bark at me if I get too close. When you saw my name on your invite list, how’d it make you feel? It made me…excited. Knowing that I’d finally get to see you again.”
Logan’s jaw ticked as Chris’s fingers flexed around his upper arm, and then he turned his head so they were eye to eye. “Let go of me.”
Chris jerked him closer and continued as if Logan hadn’t even spoken. “Don’t you miss the way we used to go at one another? You could never get enough. The more I roughed you up, the more you wanted it. Throwing you on a bed and pinning you to it was the quickest way to get you off.”
“Get your fucking hand off me, Chris.”
Instead of doing as he’d requested, Chris rubbed his erection against Logan’s leg as he goaded, “Make me.”
Logan was about to shove him the fuck away when a knock on the door captured their attention. Before either of them could react, the door opened, and Cole walked inside.
* * *
Tate stood in the center of Exquisite’s main dining room and let out a low whistle. The place was full-on sophisticated elegance. Cream tablecloths, perfectly folded napkins around silverware, and an array of wine glasses adorned each table, and on one side of the establishment ran a long, mahogany bar. It was very impressive.
“What do you think?” Rachel asked as she came to stand beside him.
He grinned and nodded. “This place is amazing.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and placed her hands over her swollen belly. “We like it.”
“So you should. It’s stunning and has nothing but rave reviews.”
“Except for that one about the head pastry chef going postal on a customer because they said her cake was dry. But Mase gave me a pass for that since I’m hormonal and all.”
Tate laughed as they walked over toward the bar, and then he helped her to sit on one of the stools. She was wearing a purple shirt that had F.B.I written across the chest, and underneath, it read Funky Baby Inside.
That pretty much summed up Rachel Madison, with her black hair streaked with blue and her brightly colored clothes. Funky. It always amused him that she was married to Cole, because from what he’d seen of the guy, he was incredibly serious.
“I want to hear all about your plans. I remember when Mason first came to me about opening this place. It felt so overwhelming. You have to find the perfect property, then get the loan, then—oh my God—the name. That was stressful enough on its own. Then add in all the legal paperwork… But you have Logan, who can help you with that,” she said with a wink.
Tate had taken a seat beside her and ran a hand through his hair as he thought about everything she’d just said. “Yeah, it is kind of overwhelming.”