Take (Temptation Series) (12 page)

“Logan,” she greeted with a smile so bright that it almost outshined her pink leopard-print skirt. She then looked at Tate and seemed to light up even more if that were possible. “Hi. I’m so glad you both came.”

“Who could resist game night?” Logan asked dryly, wincing when Rachel swatted his arm.

“It’s going to be fun. Right?” she asked Tate and sidled in close to his arm.

Like everyone who met Rachel, Tate immediately fell for her vibrant personality and warm way of making you feel at home. He flashed that easygoing grin Logan was a sucker for and replied good-naturedly, “I’m sure it will be.”

“
See
, Logan?” she told him as she stuck her tongue out and slipped an arm through the crook of Tate’s arm. “I think you should be on my team. You want to win, right?”

Tate’s laughter filled the room with Rachel’s, and even though Logan knew it was all for fun, he wanted Tate on his team, damn it
.
Luckily for him, and before he made an idiot out of himself and actually said that, Cole wandered over to them and stopped by his side.

“You made it. I have to say, I was almost convinced a stomach virus was going to break out in your building tonight.”

Logan shrugged out of his jacket and faced his brother. “You know, I heard something like that was going around. But I knew if I didn’t show tonight that I’d have an even bigger
pain
to deal with on Monday.”

Cole clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad you’re smart enough to take preventative measures then.”

“You are serving alcohol, right?”

Cole chuckled and nodded. “Yes. Your usual? Or are you driving?”

Logan glanced at his designated driver, who still had Rachel wrapped around his arm.

“Go ahead. I promise to get you home safely.”

The sappy look that crossed Rachel’s face would have been comical if Tate’s smart-ass comment had nothing to do with that damn bike and
his
dislike of it.

“Why don’t you all go take a seat and I’ll bring it in. What about you, Tate?” Cole asked as he walked toward the kitchen.

“Just a Coke, please.”

“Gotcha. Rachel seems to have claimed you, so I’ll leave her to make the introductions.”

Logan walked into the living space he knew almost as well as his own and took a seat on the double couch. When Rachel finally released Tate’s arm, Logan waited to see where he would go, and without hesitation, he walked over to where the seat beside him was empty and sat.

“Well, you guys just met Mase,” Rachel said as she sat down on the arm of her brother’s chair. “He runs the restaurant Exquisite downtown.”

“Which we both own,” Mason added, and Rachel automatically reached out and touched his shoulder.

“He also happens to be the father of an amazing little girl, Catherine.”

“You’re not biased or anything?” Mason joked with his sister.

“Well, she is amazing. Just like her aunt.”

That was when the other occupant of the room piped up. “Yeah, she dresses funny like her aunt also.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rachel brushed him off. “The quiet one there is Josh. His daughter Savannah is an angel. Looks
and
acts like one. The kids are having a play date tonight with the babysitter. Josh, this is Logan Mitchell, Cole’s brother and partner at the firm. And this is his boyfriend, Tate.”

There’s that word again
, Logan thought as he felt Tate shift on the couch beside him.
What is he thinking?

“Did you just say I was the quiet one?” Josh asked, oblivious to any discomfort in the room. “Who can get a word in edgewise in this group? Between you three women and the
little
women now in the mix, please tell me when the men are supposed to talk. Hey, Cole? Think you could do us a favor and have a boy?”

“Cole has already done his part in deciding if it’s a boy or a girl, thank you very much.”

“Yes. I participated in the fun part,” Cole called from the kitchen.

Logan heard Tate chuckle beside him, and turned to see he was looking at Mason wince.

Aww, poor guy
.

“There’s nothing worse than hearing about your sibling’s sex life, am I right?”

Mason tried to shrug it off. “I should be used to it. Cole isn’t exactly subtle, and neither is Rach.”

Logan shook his head and leaned back on the couch, stretching his arm behind Tate, so that his fingers grazed his back. He felt Tate straighten and spoke in a soft but serious tone.

“Cole and I have never been good at subtle.” Tate gave him a look that screamed, ‘
No shit,’
so he continued. “It’s probably the reason we both turned out to be lawyers. We see what we want—and take it.”

Josh smacked a hand on his thigh and laughed loudly. “Oh my God. He is
definitely
related to Cole.”

“I just said that when I was being overly chatty,” Rachel pointed out with an I-told-you-so roll of the eyes.

Josh winked at her fondly. “As if you are ever anything
other
than chatty.”

Logan watched the exchange, realizing that it was almost as familiar as his own with Cole. Josh was most definitely a part of this family, and Logan was curious
how
other than by knowing his brother.

He was also the most casual and relaxed-looking one of the group. He was wearing faded blue jeans, work boots, and a black long-sleeved shirt, with his brown hair pushed behind his ears, and as Logan sat there listening to them talk, it finally dawned on him.

“Creative Construction & Remodeling Company, right?”

“The one and only,” Josh agreed, sitting back on the couch.

“I knew your face was familiar. I was trying to work out from where.”

Tate made a sound beside him, and when Logan turned his way, he covered it with a cough, but not before Logan took note.

Oh no
, he didn’t know Josh like
that
.

“Yeah. Cole’s been my lawyer for years. I recognized your name from my invoices.”

“
Ahh
. Then I’ll try not to be insulted that you chose to go with him when clearly I’m the best when it comes to the business contracts.”

“And he’s clearly modest too,” Cole interjected as he wandered into the room holding two glasses. He handed one to him and the other to Tate before moving back to his original seat. “So we’re just waiting on the girls?”

“Yeah. Shelly text me around fifteen minutes ago. They should be here soon.”

Logan raised his glass and was about to take a sip of his gin and tonic when Rachel asked again, “So, Tate? You
are
going to be on my team, yes?”

Logan knew she was asking as a way to include Tate, and he loved her for that, but when he saw Tate nod and agree…he hated her for it too.

“Sure. You might want to tell me
what
we’re playing first,” he teased.

Logan finally took that sip of his drink and saw Mason and Josh talking before he looked across the room at Cole, who was smirking at him.

The asshole knew he was jealous.

Jealous of fucking Rachel.

“Pictionary.”

Tate’s laughter made his arm rub against his own, and Logan faked a really fantastic smile when he heard, “I’m
not
a great artist.”

Rachel, unaware of his irrationality replied with, “We will just have to become one mind then,” and Logan lost his cool.

Fuck this,
he thought, and stood.

“I’ll be right back.”

He felt Tate’s hand on his leg, and when he glanced down, concerned eyes met his.

“Everything okay?”

Even though it was childish and he felt like a fucking moron, Logan wanted to stomp his foot and tell Tate, “
No, everything is not okay.
” He was there as
his
date, damn it, and he was supposed to be his partner in…
yes, Pictionary.

“Everything’s fine, but I felt my phone buzz.”
Total goddamn lie.
“I’m going to step outside for a minute.”

Tate removed his hand, and even though he knew he was being a dick, Logan stepped around him.

He was about to turn away when he noticed Cole still watching him and tapping the side of his cheek, and again, Logan thought,
asshole.

This time though, as he left the room, he wasn’t sure if he meant Cole or himself.

10
.

Tate remained seated on the couch that had been vacated by Logan. He was confused.

He thought back to what he’d just said and then stared across the room to Cole, who was watching him closely. Mason and Josh were discussing something involving their wives, and when Cole raised a glass to him in mock salute, he said something that would’ve knocked him on his ass had he been standing.

“He’s jealous. Give him a moment and he’ll come around.”

Tate immediately shook his head. There was…“No way.”

Cole took a sip of his drink and nodded. “Trust me. That, my friend, was the green-eyed monster leaving the room.”

“But—”

“I know my brother, and I’ve only seen him act that ridiculous once before.”

Cole placed a hand on Rachel’s leg and stroked it. She looked down at him, and her lips tightened with concern.

“I didn’t mean to upset him.”

Cole thought
that
was hilarious. His mouth split into a wide grin and his laughter boomed around the room.

“Oh you didn’t upset him, but I’m pretty sure you just opened his eyes.”

Tate didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but he didn’t want Logan upset either. He stood and smoothed his hands down his pants, about to go and look for him when Rachel spoke.

“By the way, Tate, I love your pants.”

Usually he would’ve winked and thanked her, but the comment made him think of Logan, and now he just wanted to find the guy. He smiled quickly and excused himself with one thing in mind—locating Logan and knocking some sense into him.

* * *

Logan stepped out of Cole and Rachel’s condo and into the main hall, trying to remind himself he was a fucking adult.

Jesus
, he felt like an idiot.

As if it weren’t bad enough that he had to sit through playing board games all night, now he had to sit across from Tate playing with Rachel, his sister in-law, who
he
was apparently jealous of. His own stupidity astounded him.

What the hell is the matter with me?

Rachel was pregnant and madly in love with his brother for fuck’s sake.

Logan brought a hand to his face and rubbed a palm over it before he cupped the back of his neck. Then he heard a door open and close behind him, and turned just in time to see Tate step out into the hall.

Logan watched as he checked his left, and when he saw nothing and turned in his direction, Tate’s eyes narrowed and he began walking his way.

Logan faced him as he approached and decided that the best way to deal with this was to deny
everything
.

“Get everything taken care of?”

It took a moment for him to work out what Tate was referring to, and then he remembered his fabricated story.

“Yes. I called them back. All taken care of.”

Tate didn’t stop walking and actually had Logan backing up until he hit the wall at the far end of the corridor.

“What was it you told me earlier?” Tate asked as he placed his right hand against the wall.

Never one to ever back down, Logan shrugged. “Don’t know.”

Tate’s eyes moved over his face, and Logan could feel his heart beginning to thump hard inside his chest.
I’m such a fool for this guy.

“No. I remember. You told me I was a terrible liar.”

“You are,” he agreed, but he shut his mouth when Tate’s other hand came up and caged him in against the wall.

Fuck.
This side of Tate, the forceful, take-what-you want side, stroked him in all the right places.

“That may be true, but you know what, Logan? So are you. Why don’t you tell me why you
really
came out here?”