Chapter Seven
Mason
After getting the shower going and leaving him in the bathroom, I’d hurried across into my bedroom to grab some towels from the closet. Tucking them to my chest, I made a quick detour down the hallway to increase the heating in the house, the colder weather having given the place a slight chill, and I wouldn’t want Ash to get pneumonia.
I reentered the bedroom with the intention of handing the towels over to him before he’d gotten undressed but nearing the bathroom door I caught his reflection, and stopped dead when his naked torso filled my vision. I honestly hadn’t meant to look, but once I’d caught a glimpse, my eyes refused to look away from the lean form of Ash’s body reflected in the wide mirror above the double vanity. The bright can lights in the ceiling showed off every single dip and curve with startling clarity as he struggled to remove his wet clothes.
I’d seen all manner of men in the gym locker rooms, dressed and undressed, and barely gave them more than a passing glance, but absolutely nothing had prepared me for the sight of Ash’s taut muscles shifting under smooth tanned skin as he fought his way out of his sweater and T-shirt, his shoulder blades stretched tight as he hauled the clothes over his head and dropped them unceremoniously on the floor.
My hungry gaze ate up his broad shoulders, the way his back narrowed to his slim waist. His body not overly muscular, the absence of bulk only enhancing his physique rather than detracting from it. Toned triceps rippled as he moved his hands to the waistband of his jeans, the play of sinew as they shifted with his movements causing my heart to thud heavily in my chest while imagining his arms moving the exact same way when he jerked himself off. The valley along the length of his spine tempted me with how he might taste as I licked a path all the way up to the top of his neck, enjoying his appreciative moans as I did so.
He was mesmerizing, and my cock agreed, my length pushing painfully against soaking wet, restrictive denim.
He continued to wrestle with his jeans, his fingers fumbling at the fly. He gave a frustrated snarl and yanked hard, snapping the top button open, the rest rapidly following a second later.
As he pushed them over his hips, I should have done the decent thing and turned away, giving him privacy, but I couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to, so transfixed watching the wet denim slide down over the curve of his ass.
He bent and pushed his clothes all the way down his defined legs, the few dark hairs covering them, wet and clinging to his skin. I nearly swallowed my tongue as his ass-cheeks spread open, allowing me to briefly see his slightly darker, puckered hole.
My cock jerked hard in my pants, wanting inside. Blood pounded in my ears as my eyes devoured his tight pink entrance, easily picturing the head of my dick pressed against his crease, my hips canting forward when breaching him. His needy moans loud and desperate as I slid into his gorgeous ass. The pressure became almost unbearable as I pushed the heel of my palm against the painful bulge in my briefs, desperately trying to alleviate the ache looking at him caused, but only succeeding in sending my need higher, forcing me to release a long low groan.
“Mase?” Ash asked, “You there?”
Tensing on the spot, panic gripped me. I hoped like hell he wouldn’t come into the bedroom to investigate what he’d heard and discover me perving on him. The seconds dragged by until he shrugged to himself and continued working on removing the remainder of his clothes before standing tall.
He was naked. In my house. Naked.
Unable to stop from giving him another long, slow perusal, my gaze automatically stopped on his ass, committing it to memory, not expecting to ever get the chance to look at him again. Gabe had continually extolled the virtues of a bubble butt, and I’d always thought he was nuts, often telling him he had an ass fixation for the number of times he mentioned it.
But I took every one of those words back as I stared at the most beautiful bubble butt ever created, which truly was the only description for the vision before me. High and firm, yet so soft and smooth-looking. And the curve, like a juicy round peach, had my mouth drooling to take a bite and my hands aching to touch, demanding to feel the weight of the two perfect globes as they filled my palms.
Ash disappeared from view, presumably to step into the shower, and a moment later, when he emitted a deep contented groan, the sound traveled straight to my balls. I imagined him dripping wet, the hot water sliding over his cold skin hardening his nipples to two pert buds. Visualizing the spray cascading down his spine and into the crease of his spectacular ass had me suppressing another groan. And the mere thought of him soaping himself up and using the same bodywash I used, smelling of me, made me hot all over.
Fuck , I’d never been this turned on in my life.
I needed to get out of there, away from him scrubbing his body to seriously examine the alien thoughts running through my head. Closing the remaining distance to the bathroom, I pushed my arm through the partially open door and dumped the towels on the vanity.
“Towels,” I growled and not waiting for an answer, spun on my heels, escaping to the other bedroom across the hall, slamming the door behind me and turning the lock for good measure, though who I was protecting I had no clue.
All these feelings I had for another man were wrong. No, I immediately corrected my thinking, not wrong, and if I’d had even the slightest inkling in that direction, Ethan, Gabe, and Ty would have beaten ten rounds of crap out of me, prior to firing me from the company, partner or not.
No, not wrong. Never wrong. But not me.
I’d never looked twice at another man my whole life and never wanted to. My friends were attractive men, but not once did I ever look at them in any way other than platonic. We were as close as brothers, and I’d never consider doing anything sexual with them.
Flopping down on the bed, I grabbed the throw at the end and draped it around my bare shoulders, the heat in my body Ash had generated when I’d stood there gawping at him, now rapidly dissipating with him no longer in my line of sight.
I rapidly sifted through my memories and any interactions with other men, but not once did I recall being attracted to a member of the same sex.
Not a single time.
So what the fuck was going on?
Maybe this shift in view was due to what’d happened to me in New York? Maybe the bullet in my head had affected my brain in some way, altered my perceptions, my ideals, or how I processed this new view of my life?
It was total bullshit of course, and I knew it, as the real reason was all down to Ash.
How he’d helped me through my panic attacks with kindness and understanding, or his infinite patience with me when out walking today. He barely knew me, but he already understood me and my quirks, which must be what fueled my attraction to him. It must.
A knock on the bedroom door made me jump.
“You in there Mase?”
God, I loved how he said my name.
“Yeah.” There’d be no chance of me opening the door anytime soon, as I was far too conscious of seeing him after my inappropriate thoughts. I needed more time to regain my control to look him in the eye. “Give me ten minutes, okay, and I’ll be ready,” I replied, my voice rougher than normal, scratchy.
Silence for a couple of seconds. “Um, sure. It’s only—”
“I’ll be there in ten,” I reiterated, my words harsher than I intended, but I needed the timeout, or I’d freak the fuck out.
Another pause. “Okay. I’ll um…see you shortly.” Letting out a sigh of relief, I listened as his bare feet padded away down the hall toward the kitchen.
My head was a mess. I needed to think and analyze my feelings. Accepting my attraction to Ash was the easy part. I mean, what’s the point in denying the truth when my constant erection any time I was in his vicinity confirmed it every time?
But just because I was attracted to him didn’t mean I had to act on it. I’d always been proud of my ability to maintain a disciplined attitude to work and life. To rein myself in and keep calm whatever the situation. So I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t apply the same iron resolve when around Ash. It would be simple, right?
My inner pep talk complete, I relaxed, feeling more in control, which is exactly what I needed. Control. If I kept hold of mine, maintained my emotional distance, and no longer thought about Ash’s muscled, wet, naked body in my guest bathroom, I’d be fine. Fine.
Wait a second.
I frowned as a sense of apprehension crept its way into my consciousness. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what, but apart from walking on the beach and getting soaked to the skin for my efforts that was the extent of my actions today.
Soaked. Wet. Ash’s wet and naked body…
My heart rate spiked at the same time my stomach dropped like a lead weight when I figured it out.
Ash not wearing any shoes when he’d walked away, only the light slaps of his feet on the hardwood floor.
His bare feet.
Shit . My head dropped forward, and I let out a strangled moan.
He’s got no clothes to put on.
He’s wearing nothing but a towel.
Shit, shit, shit.
The sudden ringing of my phone cut into the silence, making me jump. Wriggling around, I managed to squeeze my left hand into my sodden jeans to pull my cell out, half the pocket lining coming out along with it.
Looking down at the caller ID, I grimaced. Gabe. It’s like the guy knew exactly the wrong time to call. Or maybe this was the right time? Whatever. He’d keep calling until I picked up, worried something had happened to me if I didn’t. Reluctantly, I answered, bringing the phone up to my ear.
“Hi,” I greeted him, not particularly enthusiastically.
“Wow. You’d think someone who sees no one and talks to no one all fucking day, might be a little more excited to hear my amazing voice.”
I laughed. One of the numerous things I loved about Gabriel Sanchez was he’d never let me wallow in self-pity. He knew me better than anyone and understood more than most about what I was going through. Had shown time and again, how much he supported me, worried about me, cared about me. But letting me wallow or mope? Not a fucking chance.
“What on earth was I thinking?”
“I know, right?”
I relaxed into the pillows. Another point to note about Gabe. Once he got someone on the phone, they’d better listen.
“How are you?” he asked, his voice becoming serious.
“I’m really good.” As soon as I told him, I recognized the truth in my words. The weight I’d carried around in my chest since the attack had eased slightly, allowing me to breathe for the first time in what seemed like forever. “And I think I’m beginning to make some real progress.”
“That’s really great to hear.” The lightness in his voice made me thankful. I’d put him—well, all my friends and family—through a massive scare. Add in the debilitating effects of my putting a heavy strain on those close relationships, it was safe to say I’d put them, and myself, well and truly through the ringer. So to give Gabe some good news for a change, pleased me no end.
“Everything okay at work?” I asked, instantly worried over the answer. I hoped there’d not been a problem with one of my resorts, meaning I had to go back to the city, or worse, to a different country to resolve the issue. “That’s not why you called, is it?”
“No, no, work’s fine. I just wanted to see how you were, nothing more.”
Hmm, why didn’t I believe him? “Gabe.” I smirked when he sighed this time.
“It’s nothing, honestly, nothing.”
“Talk to me,” I replied gently. Only one particular scenario ever made Gabe so reticent to speak.
“They set a date.” He barely spoke the words, but they instantly had my hackles raising.
“Not Christmas Eve?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah,” was all he said. He hadn’t needed to say any more.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Wait until I get my hands on them. There’ll be nothing left of their pathetic asses by the time I’m done.” Okay, maybe I didn’t always maintain my cool, but seriously, why would they do that to him?
A small chuckle from Gabe. “Not that I don’t appreciate you defending my honor, but it’s not that big a deal. They were always gonna get married, so…”
So? So? “But it’s the day you picked for the three of you to exchange vows. Not them. You can’t be happy about this Gabe. You can’t.”
He kept quiet for a long time. “It is, what it is,” he stated in the end. “Nothing I can do to change that, so there’s no point getting worked up over it.”
I didn’t believe a word of what he told me. Their breaking up with him had hurt, badly. It’s the reason I was able to sit on this bed in his beach house today. The one he’d bought to hide himself away and come to terms with being dumped by committee. At least I had Ash to keep me company. Who’d Gabe had in this small community?
Ash, Christ. He was in the sitting room—in only a towel.
Torn between helping my best friend or helping Ash, I struggled with what to do. In the past, my loyalty had always remained first and foremost with my friends, even when I was engaged. Which, now I come to think about it, was very telling about the state of my relationship with Lindsay. But Ash had also become part of the equation, and I struggled to figure out exactly where he fit in, as at the minute, he’d risen close to the top.
In the end, Gabe won, of course, as he needed me the most right now, whereas Ash had been dressed, or more to the point, undressed, in only a towel for quite a while, so could wait a few minutes longer for some clothes.
“Why don’t we go somewhere for the holidays?” I asked Gabe. “Somewhere hot and far away where we can both kick back and relax.” How I’d achieve that when I’d only managed a small walk outside today remained to be seen. But if I helped Gabe to forget about his exes for five minutes, I’d go on vacation with him in a heartbeat.
“I’ll think about it,” he replied, which was Gabe talk for unlikely to happen.
“Gabe,” I admonished him gently. “In case you didn't know, I’m an expert on not doing what’s best for yourself and burying your head in the sand.”
He laughed louder this time and more genuinely. “That so?”
I grinned down the phone at him. “Sure is. So, when I say you need to get away, to give yourself a chance to gain some perspective, trust me enough to know what I’m talking about. Even if you don’t want to go somewhere hot, why not come up here to your beach house? The one place you know already is, and will continue to be, your safe haven, as much as you’ve allowed it to be mine.”
He went quiet for a few beats. “The beach house does sound like a good option. Plus, the town does have loads to do during the holidays.”
“We can also see if the guys are free and the four of us, and Nate, can all vacation together. Come on, it’ll be fun. All of us together like the old days.”
“Jesus, Mason, how old the fuck are you? Like the old days, my ass.”
I smiled, knowing I had him. He loved when we all hung out together.
“So, it’s a deal?”
Gabe huffed. “Yeah, yeah, it’s a deal.”
“Great. Okay, now I need to go, as I’m sure I can hear the food delivery guy coming up the path.” I hated lying but guessed I’d not get much more out of Gabe anyway since we’d agreed on a way forward. And I’d left Ash alone for far longer than I should.
“Sure. I’ll speak to you in a couple of days,” Gabe replied. “Oh, and Mason…”
“Yep?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, though you may not be saying that after a week of our company.”
“Ha, you’re probably right. Okay, go get your food. I’ll see ya, buddy.”
“See ya.”
I hung up and jumped off the bed, but not before I shot off a message to Ty and Ethan asking one of them to go over to Gabe’s and make sure he had the support he needed. Grabbing the first shirt I found, I dragged it on, but with no time to change out of my damp jeans, I left the room and jogged down the hallway into the comfortably warm living room.
The empty comfortably warm living room.
“Shit.” He must have gone over to his own place to get dressed. Sick of waiting for me to get my ass into gear and help him out.
Heading for the doors, I glanced to the right and stopped dead, spotting Ash curled up on the couch under one of the throw blankets usually draped over the sofa arm.
Moving closer, I squatted down next to him to drink him in. I’d guessed he was a good few years younger than me, but with his eyes closed and face relaxed in sleep, he seemed even younger. Around twenty-three or twenty-four, he acted much older and more of a grownup than most people. The way he’d watched out for me, handled my issues, spoke of a maturity way beyond his years.
Despite telling myself to keep my distance, I couldn’t help running the backs of my fingers lightly down his cheek, the warmth of his face sending a frisson of heat into my hand and up my arm. I repeated the movement, unable to stop, needing to feel his soft skin against mine.
He stirred, twisting his head slightly into my touch as if he wanted to be as close to me as I did to him. My heart stuttered at the move, sending a warm spear of emotion into my cold body.
What was it about this particular man that constantly drew me to him? As if I were a ship in dark waters desperately trying to find my way to the shore. His beacon of light and kindness guided me away from the rocks to the safety only he offered.
Since our first meeting, the pull he’d exerted over my senses had never waned, tugging at a part of me I struggled to cling to amid the chaos my life had become.
From the little he’d told me about himself, I guessed his life hadn’t been easy and with my wayward, and totally off-limits daydreams about him in the shower, a pang of guilt nagged at my conscience. For whatever reason, I was drawn to Ash, and I wanted him more with each passing second. But causing him any more pain by us getting involved when I didn’t plan to stick around for the long term, meant this wasn't an option for me.
I needed to adhere to my decision and back off and be the friend he so generously gifted me the chance of being. Not some guy crushing on him who has major people issues and who falls to pieces when trying to leave the safety of his own fucking house.
Standing and reaching over, I carefully lifted another throw off the arm of the sofa and draped it over his sleeping form, gently tucking the edges around his shoulders where the other blanket had slipped down. Satisfied he’d be warm and comfortable, I quietly returned to my room to shower and change in time for when he eventually woke up.