Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Mason
Iwoke the next morning still reeling from the night before.
I could hardly believe we’d… did it count as sex?
It didn’t matter. It had been mind-blowing in the best way, regardless of the label.
I slid out of bed carefully in an attempt not to wake Emery and made my way into the bathroom to clean up and get ready for the day.
When I finished and stepped back into the bedroom, I found Emery sitting up in bed, scrolling on his phone. His face brightened when he saw me.
"Morning," he murmured.
I returned his smile, swallowing hard, nerves zinging through me. "Good morning. Are we… I mean…”
Emery’s smile wavered. “I’m good if you are.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “I’m good. We’re good.”
A little while later, we were eating breakfast and discussing the day’s plans.
“I guess we need to finish painting,” I said. “That’s pretty much the last step, besides putting in the new windows and putting the furniture back, that sort of thing.” It hit me then that our time at the cabin was coming to an end. I wasn’t ready.
I looked over at Emery and he was staring into his cereal bowl. "Hey. You okay over there?"
"Yeah. Sorry. Just… got lost in my thoughts for a sec there."
I cleared my throat. "It’s okay. Do you want to talk about it?" The idea of being that vulnerable and talking about my feelings of all things didn’t appeal to me, at least not in that moment, but maybe it was what Emery needed.
"Ew, no." He laughed. "Talking. Gross."
Relieved, I grinned at him. "Fine. Let’s finish the painting."
Not long after, I was rolling paint onto one wall while Emery painted another.
While I worked, I let myself imagine what it would be like after we left if we decided to keep exploring…
whatever we were doing. I imagined going on dates, holding hands in public, and telling our friends and family.
I thought of all the questions my brother would hammer me with.
I wondered how Emery’s family would react.
How his school would react. I knew I could handle myself in the workplace.
It’s not like either of us were suddenly incapable of doing our jobs.
Still, I worried that his boss wouldn’t see it quite the same way.
I’d read articles about teachers getting fired for all kinds of things that seemed fine to me.
Granted, those were mostly in the Deep South, and we lived in a pretty liberal area, but that fact didn’t make me feel any better.
It didn’t take us long to finish painting the rooms that needed it.
Once we were done, we took turns showering.
I let Emery go first, not sure I was ready to shower together, too.
It seemed weirdly more intimate than everything else we’d done, though I couldn’t pin down why.
When it was my turn, I cranked the water on hot and let the spray melt the day from me, watching speckles of paint disappear from my arms as I scrubbed.
I let thoughts of Emery float through my mind, imagining what it would be like if we kept this new thing between us going.
It made my chest ache thinking about it.
When I got out of the shower, I walked into the living room to find Emery pacing and frowning, on the phone and sounding frustrated.
"Yes, Mom. I know. No. Of course I will. We’re almost done here.
Do you know our neighbor Margaret? Her cabin was damaged in the storm, too.
We promised we’d help her with her repairs, though.
We’ll be home soon. I’ll let you know, I promise.
" He turned, gaze trained on the floor, and I knocked gently. Emery looked up, and his whole face changed when he saw me, smiling widely. "Mom, I’ve got to go. No, nothing’s wrong.
Mason just needs some help. I don’t know what he needs help with, Mom, that’s why I’ve got to go.
Okay. Love you too. Bye." He sighed in relief as he disconnected the call.
We looked at each other for a second or two before Emery grinned wickedly. He pulled me close and kissed me fiercely.
We kissed our way to the main bedroom, me backing Emery up against the bed before shoving his shoulder gently and sending him falling on his ass onto the sheets.
I was half-hard already and I wouldn’t need much encouragement to get all the way there.
There was no reason to rush. I took my time pulling off Emery’s shirt, stripping him of his shorts and boxers, and tossing it all to the floor.
He did the same with me, stopping to kiss me every few seconds.
The anticipation made my stomach tremble and my cock rock hard. I was ready for more.