Free Take (Temptation Series) by Ella Frank
Authors: Ella Frank
forkfuls in his mouth— holy shit, he’d been hungry—and suddenly, the fury he’d felt earlier began to surface.
“I told her I wanted you two to meet, and you know what she said to me?” When Logan didn’t respond, Tate continued. “She said she never wanted to meet you. Never . Who says that?”
Pulled back into his own anger, Tate was too far gone to realize how uncomfortable Logan looked and kept on with his disgust.
“She didn’t even bother to listen to my side of the story. Just took Diana’s version as usual and believed her. Jesus, that woman needs to get the hell out of my life already. It isn’t like I’m asking them to sit there and watch us make out. I just want her to meet you for fuck’s sake.”
“Tate?”
“What?” he snapped as his fork hit the edge of the plate with a clanging sound.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. If she just met you—”
“She’d probably feel exactly the same way.”
* * *
Logan knew what Tate was trying to do. He was trying to convince himself that, if his mother met him, things would be different, but Logan was smart enough to know better.
Tate had told him on their first date that he’d been brought up Catholic. That didn’t bode well when it came to his family understanding that he now liked getting naked with a man.
In fact, it had disaster written all over it, which was why he hadn’t wanted to meet them in the first place. He’d only agreed to appease Tate, but right now, Tate seemed anything but appeased.
“What did you say?”
“I’m just saying, even if they met me, they’d probably still feel the same.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s a great attitude, Logan.”
“I’m just trying to be realistic.”
He watched Tate spear some more food and stuff it into his mouth. He chewed it as if he were trying to kill it and then pointed his fork at him.
“If you don’t want to go Sunday, just say it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You might as well.”
Logan leaned forward and pinned Tate with a look that screamed, ‘ Shut the fuck up’ as he told him in a serious voice, “If I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t have said I would. Got it? I’m just saying that things may not turn out the way you want them to. Even after they meet me.”
Tate glared across the table at him and then sighed, sitting back in his seat. “It’ll work out. My mom’s just in shock. She loves everyone.”
Logan had his doubts. He knew he could be a charming bastard, but from the consternation on Tate’s face, he suspected winning over the Morrisons would take more than a fruit platter and flowers.
“Okay then. So we’ll go, and I’ll charm their pants off.”
“Hilarious, Logan.”
“I try.”
He sat back in his seat and played with the label on his beer as he thought about how to best approach this next particular topic.
“Speaking of family and doing things as a couple…”
Tate’s eyes found his, and Logan couldn’t believe how strange that felt to say— a couple . So far, Tate hadn’t contradicted him.
“Cole and I have this work function in a month or so.” Shit, I’m even talking about the future. Tate didn’t reply, and Logan figured that he needed to spell it out for the guy. “I was wondering if you’d like to go.”
With his fork halfway to his mouth, Tate halted his movements, and then he slowly lowered it back to his plate. “Go with you? As in your…”
Oh fuck these nerves . “As in my date.”
Tate sat back in his seat and frowned. “Logan…I don’t know—”
“It’s okay,” he was quick to interrupt. “It was a stupid idea anyway. I told Cole I’d ask, and now I have.”
God, he was an idiot. He’d known Tate wasn’t ready for that, and just hearing him say no was enough to… Yeah, fucking hurt.
“It’s just—”
“Tate, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”
And honestly, I don’t want you to.
Trying to move on so he wouldn’t have to think about the rejection,
“I told her I wanted you two to meet, and you know what she said to me?” When Logan didn’t respond, Tate continued. “She said she never wanted to meet you. Never . Who says that?”
Pulled back into his own anger, Tate was too far gone to realize how uncomfortable Logan looked and kept on with his disgust.
“She didn’t even bother to listen to my side of the story. Just took Diana’s version as usual and believed her. Jesus, that woman needs to get the hell out of my life already. It isn’t like I’m asking them to sit there and watch us make out. I just want her to meet you for fuck’s sake.”
“Tate?”
“What?” he snapped as his fork hit the edge of the plate with a clanging sound.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. If she just met you—”
“She’d probably feel exactly the same way.”
* * *
Logan knew what Tate was trying to do. He was trying to convince himself that, if his mother met him, things would be different, but Logan was smart enough to know better.
Tate had told him on their first date that he’d been brought up Catholic. That didn’t bode well when it came to his family understanding that he now liked getting naked with a man.
In fact, it had disaster written all over it, which was why he hadn’t wanted to meet them in the first place. He’d only agreed to appease Tate, but right now, Tate seemed anything but appeased.
“What did you say?”
“I’m just saying, even if they met me, they’d probably still feel the same.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s a great attitude, Logan.”
“I’m just trying to be realistic.”
He watched Tate spear some more food and stuff it into his mouth. He chewed it as if he were trying to kill it and then pointed his fork at him.
“If you don’t want to go Sunday, just say it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You might as well.”
Logan leaned forward and pinned Tate with a look that screamed, ‘ Shut the fuck up’ as he told him in a serious voice, “If I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t have said I would. Got it? I’m just saying that things may not turn out the way you want them to. Even after they meet me.”
Tate glared across the table at him and then sighed, sitting back in his seat. “It’ll work out. My mom’s just in shock. She loves everyone.”
Logan had his doubts. He knew he could be a charming bastard, but from the consternation on Tate’s face, he suspected winning over the Morrisons would take more than a fruit platter and flowers.
“Okay then. So we’ll go, and I’ll charm their pants off.”
“Hilarious, Logan.”
“I try.”
He sat back in his seat and played with the label on his beer as he thought about how to best approach this next particular topic.
“Speaking of family and doing things as a couple…”
Tate’s eyes found his, and Logan couldn’t believe how strange that felt to say— a couple . So far, Tate hadn’t contradicted him.
“Cole and I have this work function in a month or so.” Shit, I’m even talking about the future. Tate didn’t reply, and Logan figured that he needed to spell it out for the guy. “I was wondering if you’d like to go.”
With his fork halfway to his mouth, Tate halted his movements, and then he slowly lowered it back to his plate. “Go with you? As in your…”
Oh fuck these nerves . “As in my date.”
Tate sat back in his seat and frowned. “Logan…I don’t know—”
“It’s okay,” he was quick to interrupt. “It was a stupid idea anyway. I told Cole I’d ask, and now I have.”
God, he was an idiot. He’d known Tate wasn’t ready for that, and just hearing him say no was enough to… Yeah, fucking hurt.
“It’s just—”
“Tate, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”
And honestly, I don’t want you to.
Trying to move on so he wouldn’t have to think about the rejection,