Page 67 of Structure of Love

Logan

I’d woken up cuddled with Gage. Damn, that had been the best way to wake up. He’d been adorably fussy with his bed hair and half-awake state. If I was thinking of another man as adorable, you knew I had one of Cupid’s arrows stuck in me.

Neither of us had rushed the waking up and getting out the door process. I’d made him breakfast, and he’d rewarded my cooking with a blowjob. He’d absolutely been late for work this morning, and it was fine. Better than fine.

Despite the fact I’d seen him only three hours ago, I missed him already, and I knew then I’d passed some sort of point of no return. He was just so incredibly easy to love. Was it my fault I felt myself taking that initial tumble already?

According to the dictates of society, I was moving way too fast, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Couldn’t even seem to slow it down any. Honestly, I didn’t want to try. How could I when the man was sweet to my grandmother, painted a bedroom voluntarily for my sister, and so obviously entrusted himself to me and seemed to take delight in me?

Plus, he spoke geek. I’d never stood much of a chance.

I tried to hold firm, I did, but by noon I couldn’t help myself. I texted him.Pick you up for lunch?

The reply came in quickly.Coney’s?

I honest-to-god didn’t care so long as I could eat with him.Sure. Pick you up in five.

I hopped on my bike and blazed over there, found Gage’s truck in the back of the parking lot, and pulled in next to it. I’d not actually been in the office before as Gage’s boyfriend. I’d stopped by weeks ago to get a quote on the renovation of my new building, but obviously that time was different.

I headed toward the back door, taking note of the place. Gage had mentioned the office had been an old shoe factory, and I could see the remnants of that still. The brick was old, worn by time and weather, but the pavement around the building looked relatively new. Stepping in through the door, I was greeted with a wide hallway, and it wasn’t filled with typical office decoration. Instead, they’d used rich, masculine colors. No art on the walls, but they’d hung blueprints and photo collages of their houses, and even this building, before and after renovation. Oh, there was Gage’s house. Damn, it had been that bad before he renovated it? What kind of yellow was that, anyway, death-by-mustard?

I hadn’t noticed these images before, but I’d only ever been in the front two rooms.

I heard voices conversing up ahead, and since I had no idea which was Gage’s office, I beelined there. Someone could guide me to where I needed to go. I heard two women speaking, one male voice— Oh, Gage! I’d recognize his voice anywhere.

“Please, Gage?” The woman had that charming sort of beg to her tone. “Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“No. I’m not posing with Asher again. Especially not when he’s with Zar!”

“Oh, no, Asher obviously won’t be your partner,” she quickly refuted.

The second female voice chimed in. “We need to stop using Asher so much anyway, vary up our characters. So it would be you and whoever you can bribe into partnering up with you.”

What was this about? I finally reached the door and stepped into the doorway. “Hi?”

Gage looked up, relieved at my entrance. Apparently I was saving him from an awkward conversation. Sometimes I had excellent timing.

The two ladies, one of them a petite Asian, the other a Black woman with truly incredible multicolored braids, glanced up at me. They paused, these delighted smiles spreading over their faces.

I didn’t know what I’d done to warrant their reactions.

I settled on introducing myself. “Hi, I’m Logan.”

“Oh! You’re Gage’s man. Hi, I’m Shanice.”

I carefully shook hands with her—those nails looked lethal. “Hi. Wait, you’re one of the two people who do photoshoots for webtoons, aren’t you?”

“I am, yes. Gage has mentioned that?”

“Oh, he’s mentioned it.” Good-naturedly complained about it was more like it. “I actually got curious, looked up the webtoon he was a model for. It was a very fun read.”

“You read webtoons, too?” the petite woman said with open delight. “Sold. You can be our next model.”

“Ami.” Gage groaned, head in his hands. “I beg of you to stop.”

“But he’s perfect! It won’t be awkward with him, right? Since you’re together?”

“She’s got a point.” I nudged Gage’s shoulder.