Page 2 of Bound in Blood (Vampires of Boston #1)

“I believe he called you a little bunny,” Marco mumbled, and maybe Logan was imagining it, but he seemed a bit upset at Alexei’s casual use of the term. “Usually, the nickname is reserved for children. If my brother isn’t going to order a drink, could I get a glass of whiskey?”

“Oh, right, we’re in a bar.” Mateo grinned, flashing his teeth. “I’ll take a Long Island… little bunny .”

“I think I might already have a favorite twin.” Logan sighed as he prepared the twins’ drinks, sliding them across the bar as Alexei moved closer to the two. “Great, my customers are unionizing.”

The last hour of the night ticks by a bit quicker than usual with the new company, much to Logan’s dismay. He was hoping when the twins spoke that they’d be uninteresting, or rude, or uninterestingly rude, but it was never that easy, was it?

Mateo was charming, effortlessly so, quick with a joke and even quicker with that grin that made Logan’s stomach twist. Every time that smile was directed at Logan, he felt like he could faint.

Marco, on the other hand, was quieter, but his attention never strayed far.

He barely spoke, but Logan could feel him watching, tracking his every move as he tended to other customers.

He never seemed annoyed when Logan was busy, but there was a certain satisfaction in his expression whenever Logan’s gaze returned to him.

They lingered long after the usual stragglers had stumbled into the night. Long after Alexei should have left.

Instead, he was still at the bar. Not even drinking, just nursing the water Logan had handed him an hour before, eyes flicking between Logan and the twins. Logan had never known Alexei to hesitate, but something in his expression felt like reluctance .

“All right.” Alexei finally said, stretching like he’d only just decided to leave. He slid the empty water glass toward Logan, his gaze lingering a beat longer than necessary. Then, just as he turned toward the door, he threw a casual, offhand remark over his shoulder.

“Be careful on your way home, Зайчик. ”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Don’t start acting concerned for me now, Alexei. I’m not about to get mugged over a few tips.”

Alexei’s responding smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “There is much worse than petty thieves lurking in the dark.” He flicked a glance at Mateo, then Marco. Sharp, assessing, like he was trying to determine if they were trustworthy.

Mateo scoffed. “What are you, his mom?”

Alexei didn’t reply right away. He studied the twins for another long moment, fingers flexing slightly at his sides, like he wanted to say something but thought better of it.

Logan watched the standoff, feeling a bit like he had been dropped in the middle of a story that had started way before the twins sat down at the bar.

Marco tilted his head upward in slight acknowledgment, so subtly Logan would have missed it if he hadn’t been staring.

Finally, Alexei let out a low, unconvinced hum. But instead of pressing the issue, he took his coat off the rack and stepped outside.

And just like that, Logan was alone with the twins.

He turned, wiping down the counter and gathering empty glasses, but he could feel their gazes still pinned on him. A weighted kind of attention. When he risked a glance up, Mateo was leaning forward slightly, golden eyes gleaming with something calculated. Interested.

A predator, assessing his prey.

“So,” he began, voice dripping with a casual charm, “What happens after you finish up here? You gonna head home and dream about us?”

Logan paused mid-motion, condensation from someone’s long-abandoned glass dripping down his wrist. “That depends,” he replied, “Are you asking to walk me home? Ask my dad permission to give me a kiss goodnight at the door?” He cut his gaze toward Marco, “One cheek each?”

Mateo chuckled, grin widening. “You still live with your dad, tesoro ? * ? ”

“Well, no, but?—”

Marco, who had been nursing the same glass of whiskey for the last hour and didn’t look quite ready to hand it over yet, looked up then. “It would be safer than walking home alone.”

“Didn’t you two just get onto Alexei for acting like my mom?” Logan narrowed his eyes slightly, torn somewhere between skepticism, curiosity, and the desire to be sandwiched between two incredibly attractive men.

“Maybe...” Mateo said thoughtfully. “But what if you do get mugged on your way home? And we’re not there to protect you.”

“Protecting dear old me from the big, scary city? Gosh, mister, nobody ever gets mugged in Texas! I’m mighty scared.” Logan rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Just a little.

Marco barked a laugh, surprising the hell out of Logan, who nearly dropped the glass he was still holding. Mateo looked at his brother, a slight expression of shock on his face that was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Let us walk you home, bello ? * . I promise we’ll be the epitome of gentlemen.”

Logan busied himself rinsing glasses, going through the motions to calm his restless hands. He should definitely say no. Finish his shift, go home, and sit in his apartment alone like he always did.

But the way Mateo was watching him—sharp and expectant, that playful challenge in his eyes—and Marco, for all his quietness, had a look about him that made Logan’s stomach flip. Not teasing, not daring. Just… watching. Like he was waiting for Logan to make his move.

Like he already knew how this would end.

“I have to finish closing.” Logan said finally. “It’s going to take me at least another half hour.”

“I’m not hearing a no?” Mateo pointed out, leaning just a little bit closer.

“You haven’t heard a yes, either,” Logan replied, rolling his eyes. There was no stopping the corner of his mouth from twitching into a smirk, though.

Mateo leaned his chin on his hand, watching Logan carefully as he finished washing the glasses, setting the last one upside down on the drying rack. “I think I did, though. You finish up, we walk you home, and then you thank me for my trouble with your phone number?”

Marco made a sound low in his throat, somewhere between amusement and exasperation, “Or you let us make sure you make it home safe, no ulterior motives.”

“You are such a buzzkill.” Mateo sighed, elbowing his brother.

“And you’re scaring him. If he wants our company, you won’t have to coerce him.” Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Logan huffed a laugh, turning to face the two twins. This was a bad idea, right? Letting two strangers walk him home? Yes, they were incredibly attractive, but so was Ted Bundy. Hot did not mean trustworthy, and for all he knew, they were a couple of serial killers.

He glanced toward the door, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Maybe he should tell them a friend was already picking him up.

Call an Uber and avoid the entire situation entirely.

Sure , Logan hadn’t hooked up with anyone since moving here, but that was safe.

Predictable. The smart thing to do, really.

But … God, that smile on Mateo’s face was downright sinful, and Marco’s quiet, watchful presence made something in Logan’s chest feel tight and warm all at once.

Fuck… it was just a walk home, right? He wasn’t committing to marriage.

Logan exhaled slowly, like he was standing at the edge of something, and he knew, deep down, he was about to fall. His gut was telling him this was a very bad idea. But his gut also hadn’t had sex in over a year, so maybe it could shut the hell up.

“If you’re quiet while I finish up, you can walk me home.”

Even as the words left his mouth, Logan wasn’t sure if he was making the best decision of his life or a very, very stupid one.

* ? Pronounced ‘Zaychik.’ While Marco is technically correct and this is a term of endearment for children, it can also be used in the context of lovers.

* ? Directly translates to ‘treasure’ but means the same thing as ‘darling.’

* ? Meaning ‘handsome,’ but I think this one is obvious.