Chapter 9 Thomas
Thomas
Mason was quiet on the walk back to the apartment.
The streets were always full of life in Manhattan, making conversation unnecessary.
The closer we got to the hotel, the heavier the moment felt.
We were ending another fun night together, but this time staying in the same place.
I knew him well enough to know he was wrapped up in his thoughts about facing his father, while I was trying to figure myself out.
Walking through the rotating door to the hotel, we headed to the elevator. He pushed the button, and when the doors opened, we stepped in along with a few other guests. I stood on one side, while he went to the other. I didn’t like the separation between us, but I had no right to say anything.
The doors opened on our floor, and I followed him out. Mason opened the door and held it for me. He went to the sofa and turned on the television. When he sat down, he stared at the screen, unseeing.
“I’m going to call Hudson and check on the girls.”
Mason turned and smiled at me. “You’re a good daddy to check on your babies.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, well. That’s my job.”
Making my way to my room, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my phone. Checking the time, it was only eight-thirty in California, so I made the call. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey. How’s New York?”
“It’s good,” I replied. “How’s it going there?”
“Great. Evan and Erin took the dogs out for a walk.”
“Are they eating okay? Sometimes they become finicky when I leave.”
Hudson didn’t reply for a moment. “Yes, they ate their food and the treats Erin made for them. Homemade dog bones with peanut butter and pumpkin.”
I sighed. “That’s good.” Scrubbing my hand over my face, I didn’t know how to begin, but Hudson did.
“How’s Mason?”
“He’s okay. Dreading tomorrow. But we had a good time tonight.”
“What did you do?”
“I took him to a hockey game and out to dinner.”
He hummed. “Sounds like a nice date.”
My eyes popped open. “It wasn’t a date. It was hockey. And a burger.”
He chuckled in my ear. “What’s really bothering you, Thomas? I know it’s not the dogs. You leave them all the time, and they’re in great hands. Talk to me.”
I flopped back on the bed with a hand over my eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You’re scared. And it’s understandable. You’ve not had a relationship with anyone in over a decade, and being with Mason makes you happy. From the outside, it looks very familiar to me.”
I breathed out a heavy sigh. “How did you let go of who you were to be with Evan? I know you said you were fluid, but I’m not sure I am.”
“You don’t have to be. But you owe it to yourself and him to be honest about how you feel. It’s obvious how much you two care about one another. He looks at you like his favorite person. And you look the same way, my friend.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, well, he is. He makes me feel more like myself than I have in a long time. Every morning, the first thing I want to do is talk to him. We run together, eat breakfast, walk the dogs, and whatever else our day has in store for us.”
“Did you miss him when you were in Ireland?”
I covered my eyes. “Very much.”
“If you were to wake up one morning and he was in your bed, would you freak out?”
My cock liked that idea and began to respond to the thought. “No,” I sighed. “It would be… right. But he deserves someone better than me.”
Hudson was quiet as he let me think it through. “You sound like you love him.”
My heart thudded in my chest as my emotions got the best of me. “I do. But I don’t know how to do this with him.”
“It’s simple, my friend. You just show him love, like you already do. And believe it or not, the sex comes easily when it’s the right person. Trust me when I tell you the right person makes all the difference. You’ll see.”
I nodded to myself. “I believe you. But I can’t start this with him until after we figure this out. My gut tells me it’s going to be a shitshow here with his father.”
“Then wait until this is over to talk to him. But whatever you do, don’t give him mixed signals. I’m not sure he could take that.”
I blew out another breath and ran my hand over my head. “You’re right. I fucking hate the push and pull shit. But right now, I’ve got to do what’s best for him, and that’s finding information about Axel.”
“Me too,” Hudson said. “That’s why when I knew Evan was the one, what the world thought didn’t matter. You remember. We had that conversation.”
I smiled. “We did. Now you’re giving me the same advice.”
He laughed. “Seems I am. The one thing I can tell you is to follow your heart. It will never lead you astray. All it will take is one kiss, and you’ll know. You’ll feel it all over your body and deep in your soul when it’s the right person.”
Guilt washed over me. “I’ve never experienced that kind of connection before.”
“I know. Maybe that’s the universe telling you that you weren’t meant to be together forever. Just for a time. Maybe you were meant to be with someone else all along. Someone who makes you blissfully happy every day.”
He was right. I owed it to myself and Mason to give us a chance. “You’re right.”
“I know a thing or two about love, so go spend some time with him.”
I smiled, feeling relieved. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks, Hudson.”
“Anytime, my friend.”
I ended the call and put my phone on the bed. Standing, I opened the door and walked out to where I had left Mason. He wasn’t on the sofa or on the balcony. The door to his room was cracked, but he wasn’t inside. Listening closely, I heard the water running in his bathroom.
I turned to walk away when I heard my name. “Thomas,” he moaned. “Please.”
Pushing into the room, I stopped outside the bathroom door.
He’d left it open just enough to allow the steam to escape, giving me a perfect view of the shower in the mirror.
My breath caught at the sight of his naked body.
I’d seen his bare chest and legs a hundred times, but everything changed when I found his fist wrapped around his cock as he shuttled it back and forth.
One strong arm braced against the wall, while the other took his pleasure.
The water sliding down his body and the moaning and whispering my name in a begging tone made my dick impossibly hard.
Pressing on the front of my jeans, I watched as he pleasured himself to thoughts of me.
His chest rose and fell with his labored breathing as his hand tightened over the top of the glass shower wall.
I knew he was close, and I should look away.
But I couldn’t. All I could think of was how I wanted to be in there, under that water, working him to completion.
Widening his stance, he braced himself as he shot thick ropes of cum all over the glass wall while calling my name.
It was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen, and it told me everything I needed to know about myself and Mason.
We wanted each other, and when the time came, I’d be all in and give him everything he needed.