Chapter 11 Thomas
Thomas
Mason strode ahead of me with his hands stuffed in his pockets and shoulders curled forward. I ached to stop him so I could wrap him in my arms and tell him it was going to be okay. But I wasn’t sure that was true, and I’d never lie to him if I could help it.
As he stood like a desert island in a sea of people walking by, he stared at the stone wall that surrounded the park.
Looking left, then right, he walked toward the closest entrance.
When he entered the park, I reached for his arm and led him to a bench.
I was worried he’d walk all night if I let him.
As he sat, I got a glimpse of his face. He wore a blank stare, his eyes bloodshot, and the saddest expression I’d seen in a long time.
The ache to take care of him returned as I squatted in front of him.
Unafraid to touch him, I put my hands on his broad shoulders and massaged until some of the tension left.
“Do you need anything? Water, something to eat, anything?”
Mason blinked and spoke softly. “No. But thank you.”
I moved to sit beside him with my arm propped up on the back of the bench. Mason leaned into my side. Shifting toward him, I repositioned my arm over his shoulders. “I’m here if you need anything.”
Almost two hours after we’d walked into his father’s office, Mason started talking. “I’m embarrassed you had to see that,” he mumbled. “But I’ve never been that angry.”
I tightened my arm. “You have every right to feel that way. I’m just glad I was there.”
He released a caged breath. “Me too. I don’t… I don’t think I would have hurt him, but I was so…” he breathed. “How could he…” A strangled sob tore from his throat as he covered his face with his hands.
Wrapping both arms around his shoulders, I spoke into his ear. “I don’t know, but you’re not alone. You have me, and your friends at home. And you have your sisters.”
Mason’s phone vibrated multiple times, but he ignored it. “My life is never going to be the same. I think I just tore my family apart.”
I took a moment to think before I spoke. “No, it won’t. But in time, it could be even better. You have the information you came for. Now you have to decide what you do with it.”
He turned to look at me, panic written all over his face. “I didn’t ask her name. I have no idea who she is.”
I smiled softly, itching to run my fingertips over his face. “You leave that up to me. I’ll take care of that.”
His eyes began to glass over as he looked into mine. We stared at one another as the tension between us grew. He memorized my face as his eyes drifted down to my mouth. I wanted so many things I’d never desired before, but Mason was hurting, and this wasn’t the time to give in to the moment.
“Thomas,” he whispered, his warm breath ghosting along my lips. The heat of the closeness sent a shiver down my spine, and it took every bit of strength inside me to hold back from giving him what he wanted.
Looking away, I stared up at the sky. It wouldn’t be right to take advantage of his emotions for my own satisfaction. Could we come back from this if it were a failed encounter?
Mason straightened, causing my arm to slip away when he got to his feet. Looking down at me, he gave me a half-smile. “Thanks for following me out here, but I think I need some time.”
Standing, I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Okay. Let me get us a cab.”
When I turned to head to the street, Mason put his hand on my shoulder, then pulled it away. “No. You go. I meant I need some time alone. To think.”
Every alarm went off in my head. He’d never pushed me away, but always pulled me closer. “I’m not leaving you alone. That’s not what friends do.”
His heartbroken smile pulled every lever inside me. I was fucking this up. “I’m fine, Thomas. I’m a grown-up and I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
I huffed and put my hands on my hips. “That’s not the point,” I grumbled. “I’m here to do this with you, not leave you alone. Whatever you need, I’m here for it.”
Mason looked at me as if I were the one missing the point. Maybe I was. Perhaps I really had screwed this up? “I appreciate you being here. You’re my best friend, and that’s what you’re being by giving me time alone. I’ll be fine. I promise. You’ve got your key.”
As I stood staring at him, Mason reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
The heartbroken half-smile was back, and I couldn’t decipher if it was about his father or about me turning away.
“I’ll see you later.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing into the crowd on the street.
Running my hands through my hair, I wasn’t sure what to do. Technically, he didn’t need a bodyguard. He didn’t need me to protect him from anything but himself. Yet here I was, second-guessing what had always been first nature to me. But Mason was more than a friend. He’d become everything to me.
Striding out of the park, I looked around to see if I could find him. As tall as he was, he shouldn’t have been that difficult to find. Stepping onto a nearby bench, I tried to locate him in the crowd. Panic bloomed in my gut the longer he was out of my sight.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed his number, but got no answer. I dialed it again, but it went to voicemail. “Goddamn it,” I muttered, stuffing it back in my pocket.
Moving to the corner of the street, I hailed a cab and gave the driver the location. “The Covington on 23rd, please. Can you take 5th?”
He grunted and took off like a bat out of hell toward lower Manhattan. I kept my eyes peeled for Mason, but he was nowhere to be found. He was somewhere out in the city, hurting, and it worried the shit out of me.
When the driver pulled up to the hotel, I paid him and got out. Pulling out my phone, I called Mason two more times, but both went straight to voicemail. As the doors opened, I stepped inside and headed to the apartment.
Opening the door, I walked into dark silence. The city sparkled, illuminating the room, but it felt cold and empty without Mason here. It struck me that this was my life without him.
Flipping on the lights, I turned on the TV and found a baseball game to fill the empty air. Pacing the room, I thought about calling Hudson. He’d know what to do, but it occurred to me I also knew what to do. And that was to give him time.
Giving up, I checked my watch and sat on the sofa, staring mindlessly at the television as I calculated how long it would take for Mason to walk back. When that time came and went, worry set in. Another call went unanswered, forcing me to count the minutes down until I went out looking for him.
One hundred thirty-seven minutes after arriving back at the hotel, the phone rang. Hurrying over, I picked it up.
“Hello?”
The sound of a crowded room filled the background. “Mr. Kingsley?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is Vincent, downstairs in the Metro Bar. I have Mr. Kennerly here, and he’s gonna need some help getting to the room. He didn’t want me to call you, but I can’t leave to bring him up. I can send security, though.”
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I shook my head. “No. I’ll come get him. I’ll be right down.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
Grabbing my wallet and keycard, I headed out to the elevator. When I walked into the crowded bar, I found Mason sitting at the end, out of the way of traffic. Making eye contact with the bartender, I waved to let him know I was there.
He leaned down and spoke to Mason, who turned to find me walking across the room. The lovesick smirk on his face almost made my heart stop.
Pivoting wobbily on the stool, he faced me. The big guy was three sheets to the wind. “Hey. What are you doing down here? I was just talking about you, and poof. You appeared.”
I smiled, but raised a brow. “Oh yeah? I’m magic like that. I came to find you.”
His glassy eyes lit up, and his smile widened. “You did? God, you’re so handsome. You’re the man of my dreams,” he slurred, leaning in to put his head on my chest.
Vincent raised his brows at me. “I’m guessing he hasn’t eaten. Want me to order some food to be sent upstairs?”
“No, thank you. I’ll order something if he’s up to eating.” I wrapped an arm around him as he rubbed his face all over me like a cat. Thankfully, Mason clung to me as I struggled for my wallet. “Give me a second to get a card to take care of the bill.”
“You smell good,” he purred, nuzzling his face into my shirt. “I love the way you smell all the time. Even after we run.”
The bartender held up his hand as he smiled. “No worries. I charged it to the room.”
Relieved, I turned my attention back to Mason. “Up you go, big guy. Time to put you to bed.”
“Yesss!” he said, enunciating the s while raising an arm into the air. “I’ve been wanting to do that with you for a long time. Lennox says dick is the best, and I bet yours is better than his.”
Trying to ignore his words, I put my arm around his waist. “Hmm, is that so? Put your arm around me.”
Mason snorted. “Yes, sir. I like the bossy side. You’re like a bossy daddy type.” He leaned in as if to whisper in my ear, but failed. “I can be a good boy for you.”
Oh dear Jesus. I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I know, Mason. Let’s get you upstairs,” I said, shuffling us to the door and toward the elevator.
I was winning until my drunk friend leaned down to suck on my ear as we waited for the elevator.
I didn’t push him away out of fear he’d make a bigger scene.
I was a former Marine. I could take a little ear sucking, even though it sent every ounce of blood in my body south.
When the elevator finally opened, three people exited the car, leaving it wide open for us.
Propping him against the wall, I started to close the doors when a female called out. “Hold the door, please!”
Shit. Two young ladies teetered in on high heels, smiling at us. “Ten please,” the brunette said, eyeing us.
Mason smiled and pulled me to him. “Do you remember our floor number, daddy?”
My face heated as they giggled. I was a motherfucking Marine. I wasn’t supposed to blush. Not even at Mason’s suggestive words.
“Twenty,” I said. “We’re on twenty. Two zero.”
He continued to nuzzle his face into my neck until the girls exited the elevator. “Feeling alright?”
He nodded, rubbing his beard against my skin.
“Better now that you’re here.” Open-mouthed kisses landed on my neck as I fought the urge to kiss the shit out of him.
My body responded in every appropriate way when he touched me, validating Hudson’s words.
My mind and my body were on board for him, just not when he was inebriated.
When we finally reached the apartment, I swiped us in and ushered Mason to the sofa. Depositing him onto it, I sat on the coffee table and faced him. Even his drunk grin was sexy and prevented me from being mad at him. “Why did you get drunk?”
He lifted a finger and attempted to run it down my face. Evidently, I was moving. “You know why. I had a bad day. And I was sad because you wouldn’t give me my first gay kiss.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I don’t want to kiss anybody else. Just you.”
My heart fell for him a little more with his drunk confession.
I only wanted to kiss him, too. So I went with the truth.
Chances were, he wouldn’t remember what I said in the morning anyway.
Reaching out, I cupped his face in my hands.
His beard was soft to the touch as he leaned into my palm.
“I wanted to kiss you. Badly. But the time wasn’t right. I didn’t want you to regret it.”
Mason blinked at me. “I could never regret kissing you. I love you.”
I smiled at him as my heart beat faster. “Why do you want to kiss me so badly?”
His eyes softened as he looked at me with the same expression he gave my dogs.
Evidently, alcohol was like a truth serum.
“Because you’re my person. Lennox is Dane’s person.
And Evan has Hudson. Now, even Carson has Colin.
But I don’t have anybody to be my person.
And I thought it was you. But you don’t want to kiss me like they do. ”
He broke my fucking heart. “I am your person, Mason. And when the time is right, I’ll happily give you a first kiss. But I want you to remember it for the rest of your life.”
He blinked at me, then smiled. “Yeah? You wanna kiss me for real?”
“For real. I want to be the only person you ever kiss.”
“Okay, daddy.”
I rolled my eyes as he laughed hysterically. It was time to put him to bed. “That’s it, time for bed.”
“Wait,” he said when I pulled him to his feet. “You’re gonna sleep with me, right?” The hope in his voice made my heart melt.
“Not the way you’re thinking, and only for a little while to make sure you’re okay.”
Mason sighed as I took his hands and led him to the bedroom. Walking him into his room, I sat him down and took off his shoes. He fell back, fully clothed, and rolled to one side of the bed. Slapping the side of the bed next to him, he grinned at me. “Come on, daddy. I don’t bite.”
Shaking my head, I walked into the bathroom to find a trash can and a washcloth, then placed them beside him. If he were to get sick, I’d be ready. When I returned to the room, Mason was already out.
I stood and looked at him for a while before kicking off my shoes. I sat down on the bed and flipped off the light. Lying down, I kept an eye on him all night as I contemplated what life with him could be like.