20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Nick

Day 8

A quiet solitude settled between Logan and me after our shower last night. We hadn't talked much as we sat by the campfire next to the river. I nestled between Logan's legs, leaning against him as we stared out at the starry sky over the steep cliffs. The area was pretty secluded and away from other campers, so we were comfortable touching each other openly.

With his free hand, he trailed his fingers over my shirtless skin, trying to touch anywhere he could. The sensation was relaxing and made me a little sleepy. I didn't think we uttered a word at that moment, enjoying each other in the comfortable silence of touch.

Of course, I had to ruin it by talking, as I was prone to doing. "You know what's really odd?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, we've known each other for years, but this, right here and now, it's like we've always been this way."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Like we hadn't always been fighting or ignoring each other. Instead, it just feels like we've always been comfortable around each other. I don't know if that makes any sense. Sitting here between your legs, touching each other, just seems… as natural as breathing, like we've been doing it our whole lives. That's weird, right?"

"I'm not sure it's weird, but while it does feel like we slipped into a place that's easy, our road was bumpy, too."

"Yeah, more like full of potholes, but I like the road we're on."

"Me, too."

Logan felt… real. All this time, I'd been surrounded by superficiality. Maybe it wasn't quite superficial, but more like practice for something deeper.

"I'm tired. Let's get to bed," he said. "I can't stop yawning."

Logan stood and reached his hand out. I grasped it, and he hefted me up.

When we headed back inside, Logan and I shoved the twin beds together, making it large enough for us to spread out. We didn't fool around since we quickly fell asleep after our long day.

By the next morning, it was me who ended up wrapped around him.

The day stirred to life with the subtle sounds of the river and birds chirping through the open window. Logan's back was to me with my arm wrapped around him, palm resting on his chest, feeling his steady heart. At some point, he'd curled his fingers around mine as if afraid I'd roll over or move away.

As I stirred awake, I pressed my nose to his skin and took a deep breath. Even with my eyes closed, you could tell there was nothing feminine about him. Logan smelled soapy, earthy, and sleepy.

God, why did I keep needing to inhale him?

Because he smells forbidden.

"Are you sniffing me?" he mumbled into his pillow.

"Maybe. You smell oddly good."

Logan yawned loudly and stretched before rolling over to face me. "I have to admit, there's something nice about sleeping in a real bed. I slept like a rock last night."

"Same."

He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close, nuzzling his face in my neck. His growing beard tickled and scratched my skin at the same time.

"Let's stay in bed all day," he said.

"No way. We have hiking to do and waterfalls to see. I have a better idea."

"What?"

I reluctantly pulled away from him, climbed out of bed, and reached out my hand. "Come on, Snuggle-Wuggles. Get up."

"Jesus… Are you still calling me that?"

"Till my dying breath."

He rolled his eyes, but took my hand and got out of bed, grumbling along the way.

"Go start a fire and make us some coffee. I'll be out in a minute," I ordered.

Logan walked out in only his underwear as I stared at his pert butt, smiling. His was the only guy's ass I'd ever stared at and enjoyed it. I shrugged because it was nice to just go with the flow and not worry about every aspect of the future, at least for now.

Once the door was closed, I dug into my backpack and pulled out my shaving kit. It was time to shed our growing beards.

I stepped outside in time for Logan to pour us two cups of coffee with sugar. I usually drank it with cream, but it was a hassle to bring and keep it fresh. He handed me a mug, and I took a tentative sip as I walked to the edge of the river and sat on a large rock.

"Come on."

Logan complied without arguing or questioning and sat down next to me. I set down my mug and opened my shaving bag. "We're shaving."

"I can shave myself. There's a mirror in the bathroom."

"Tough, I'm going to shave you, then you're going to shave me."

"Fine, but don't nick me."

"Be still my beating heart. You're not arguing."

Logan shrugged. "I trust you."

That was new, and I'd take it. "Wet your face, if you would."

He kneeled over the water and splashed his face. "Shit, that's fucking cold. Well, I'm awake now."

When he sat up, I squeezed out a large dollop of shaving cream into my hand and spread it over his scruffy jaw, throat, and upper lip. "You look good with facial hair, but it's itchy against my skin."

Logan reached for my face and touched the patchy growth on my chin before cupping my face. "I like touching this."

I swallowed the lump in my throat at his open affection and leaned into his touch. It was still hard to wrap my head around us in the here and now. One minute, we couldn't stand each other, and the next, we couldn't stop touching one another. Hell, I'd had no idea he'd be so affectionate or intimate. But I trusted my instincts and how my body reacted to him.

Scooting closer to Logan, I pulled out my disposable razor, wet it, and dragged it down with the grain on his lower cheek to his jaw. His hazel-green eyes never left my face as I worked on shaving him.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

I lifted Logan's chin so he'd look up for me to work on his throat. When my razor was full of hair, I rinsed it in the river and kept on working, slowly exposing more and more smooth skin.

"How far are we taking this?"

"Taking what?"

He paused for a beat, making me look up at his eyes.

"You and me," he finally said.

"I don't know." I curled my upper lip so he'd mirror me and shaved it. "We're taking this one day at a time, right? I figured we'd just kind of let this fall naturally."

"Yeah, I get that, but have you thought about things beyond like… kissing and handies?"

"I have. Is this your way of asking for more, Logan?"

His face pinked, and his chest turned blotchy as I worked on the other side of his face. "Yeah."

"What would you like to try? Blow jobs? Sex?"

He visibly swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to look away, but I kept his face still. "Sex?" he said, but it came out as a question.

"Anal, right?"

"I guess. I… don't know shit about it… Ugh. That was not supposed to be a gross pun."

A snort escaped me. "You're really adorable, you know that, right?"

Logan scowled at me. "I'm not adorable or cute."

"If you say so," I quipped.

"I want to… ugh, I'm not used to talking about this shit. I've hidden myself for so long. Hell, I don't even talk about these details with Hunter. I mean, if sex is involved, would that be something you'd be willing to try?"

"Yeah, I think so." Weird how I answered that with no hesitation.

"Cool. Why?"

I shrugged. "Why not? I mean, if we're going to explore, let's explore all of it. But only if you're comfortable."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you comfortable doing that?"

"I think so. The idea of it doesn't make me squeamish or anything. In fact, I'm more curious than anything."

"Okay."

I evened out his sideburns. "All done. Wash your face." Logan splashed river water on his face, washing away the remaining shaved hair and cream.

"What do you want to do? Just be open about it, Logan. It's all good, and I'm not uncomfortable, though I keep thinking I should be."

"Can I give you head? I won't ask you to do that to me, but I want to do it for you."

And just like that, my dick perked right up with visions of Logan on his knees, sucking me down while looking up, begging for direction with his eyes.

Fuck me .

I'd always been a bit bossy in bed with Lauren. But doing that with Logan? I wasn't sure if I could do that. He was inexperienced with sex and could be a bit shy, but he wasn't the submissive type at all. We still had a lot to learn about each other.

I actually liked that none of this bothered me. Once Logan and I set aside our differences, we just naturally fell into each other. I felt at home with him.

"Head sounds like fun. And I'm not going to leave you hanging."

"Only if you're sure."

Could I swallow his cum? Only time would tell. I'd let the moment decide.

Instead of responding to him, I ran a hand along his face and throat. "Man, I'm pretty awesome at this shaving thing. You're smooth as a baby. My turn!"

"Okay, wet your face, then come sit between my legs, facing the water."

I did as I was told and sat on the ground. He rested his hand on my forehead and eased my head back onto his shoulder, then lathered me up. After wetting the razor, he went to work on my face.

Logan's shaving me was more ritualistic and intimate, with his now smooth face pressed against my forehead. He stroked the razor down my skin, periodically pressing kisses to my temple.

It all reminded me of what he'd said about liking me for a long time. He'd probably had it in his head, imagining us together like this often, but this was all so new to me.

I leaned my head back further when he pressed my head with his hand to shave my upper lip. I stared up into his focused eyes with a furrowed brow as he shaved me with care and precision.

Then he started to get hard, his cock poking at me from behind which, in turn, made me hard, and he noticed because he cupped me there.

"We'll take care of this soon, but not yet."

As Logan wrapped up my shaving, I got lost in his touch and intimate care. I felt… loved or worshiped. But that was impossible. It was too early between us for love—if we even got there. Then again, he'd had feelings for me for a long time. Could he? Nah. He'd tell me, right? Not necessarily. I could ask him, but I wasn't ready for all that.

Did I need to think about those things? Think about a future with a man? Loving a man?

Logan grazed the back of his fingers across my fresh face. "Perfect."

He leaned down and met my lips with his, uncaring that I still had some cream on my face, leaving me speechless, unable to find words. When he pulled away, I tried to chase his lips, needing more.

"Let's go hike to Eden Falls," he said, helping me stand.

"Sounds good."

Hiking the Lost Valley Trail could take up to three hours, depending on how often you had to stop. We brought our backpacks with us, which carried our canteens, some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and granola bars.

The day grew overcast, so the sun didn't melt our skin off, and the temperature was cooler than it had been, but it was still humid.

As usual, Logan had a map of the trail on him, so we didn't get lost.

"Did Wyatt send you to Boy Scouts as a kid?" I asked as we climbed some rocks through the thick woods.

"Yeah. Cub Scouts, too. Why?"

"No reason."

Logan looked back at me with a raised brow. "Why do I feel like you're about to make fun of me again?"

"I would never…"

His face was deadpanned.

"Fine, I would. I just ask because of your obsessive need for maps."

He huffed at me as he climbed a steeper ledge. When he reached the top, he gave me his hand. I took it, and he hefted me up with ease. "I don't want to get lost."

"Well, clearly. That's the point, right? But don't you want to explore sometimes?"

Logan stopped walking and took a cursory look around us before grabbing me by my hips and pressing our bodies together. "I am exploring."

I rolled my eyes, about to give him a sarcastic response, but he smothered it with a kiss, still smelling of shaving cream. He pulled away quickly and glanced around us again.

"That you are," I said.

He held out his hand for me to take, and when I did, he curled his fingers in mine as we continued to walk. Logan was definitely growing bolder, and I loved watching him blossom.

Did he feel it? Did he even notice his confidence showing more and more with each touch and kiss? Was he growing more comfortable in his own skin? I hoped, at least, he felt a little less lonely.

An hour and a half into the hike, we finally reached Eden Falls.

"There's a cave over there." He pointed near the falls. "If you want to go into it, we'll have to crawl in there."

I winced. "Maybe small spaces aren't for me. The idea of being under tons and tons of rock isn't very appealing."

"That's fair. Come on. Let's dump our bags and dunk under the falls. I feel gross and sticky."

I'd love nothing better than to sit under those falls and drown in Logan's kisses, but there were too many hikers around.

Logan stripped off his shirt, tossing it onto his bag, and removed his hiking boots and socks. As he waded into the water, I took several shots of him with the camera hanging around my neck. I had the perfect shot of him once he turned around to face me with a huge smile and then looked up at the falling water.

Hell, he wasn't just attractive. He was beautiful.