Chapter Twenty-Three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ryan
“You don’t need to do that,” Mason said, sliding his arms around my waist and gently pressing kisses to the side of my neck as I finished running a sink full of hot water to wash up. At some point we really needed to get a dishwasher, I didn’t know how they’d managed so long without one. “You cooked again. The least I can do is get my lazy ass in here to clean up.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, twisting my head slightly to look at him. “You look fucking knackered. You were practically falling asleep on the sofa.”
“I can manage some bloody washing up,” he said with a wry smile, leaning forward and kissing me softly. “You sit down. Or if you’re bored, go and help Jonny pick out something to wear. Honestly, you’d think he was going on a date, not a night out.”
I bit back a smile as I stepped to the side, giving Mason another kiss before leaving him with the sink. I’d been happy to make dinner again and this time I’d come straight home after the match to make a spicy cottage pie with creamy mashed potatoes. Although I’d refrained from putting more than half a Scotch bonnet in it because of Jonny’s spice tolerance since I didn’t think he’d appreciate me blistering his tongue after a long, hard afternoon.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go too?” I asked, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching Mason work, his big hands carefully handling the large dish I’d used for the cottage pie, placing it neatly on the draining board. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
He’d mentioned that Hunter and Bailey were trying to get everyone out for a team night to celebrate their win, but he’d mentioned it in a casual, just passing sort of way. Like it was raining outside. Mason had gone out a few times since I’d moved in but not with any regularity. He’d probably come to drag brunch as many times as he’d been out but it was only just now that I was realising it.
Mason shook his head. “Nah, I’d rather stay here,” he said, shooting me a smile. “As long as that’s okay with you?”
“Of course.”
“Do you need to do anything for tomorrow?”
I thought for a second. “No, I don’t think so. We don’t get a ton of time at brunch and I don’t want to cause another cocktail incident with a stray die, so I’m doing my villains routine. I’ve got the outfit ready and I’ll shower in the morning. Apart from that, all good.”
“Good… good…” Mason nodded and there was visible tens ion in his shoulders as he reached for a large saucepan. He glanced up at the ceiling and then over at the kitchen door like he was expecting Jonny to materialise in our midst. “I don’t know if you’d fancy it… I know we had dinner but do you… how do you feel about…” The saucepan clattered against the edge of the sink and Mason huffed. “Fuck, why is this so difficult?”
I slid closer to him, a playful grin caressing my lips. He really was so adorable—this six-foot-two hulking mass of muscle who couldn’t even find the words to ask me if I wanted to fuck. “Do you want to fuck me, Mason? Is that what you want to ask? Or do you want me to fuck you?”
“Both? Is that an option?”
“Of course, although maybe not tonight,” I said. “When was the last time you were on the receiving end? You said one of your exes used to peg you, right?”
He shrugged, a tiny smirk curling the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, it was hot and I… I really liked it. It’s been a while though, mostly because I haven’t found anyone else who’s up for that.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I will absolutely fuck you,” I said, getting as close as I could and lowering my voice, my hand wrapping around his waist. I definitely wanted to ask more questions about his past relationships, but now wasn’t the time. I didn’t want Mason to think about anyone except me. “I bet you sound so pretty with your ass full of cock. Bet you look so pretty too. And I know your ass is going to feel so fucking good.” I smacked it playfully and squeezed one cheek hard, drawing a soft moan from Mason’s mouth. His eyes fluttered shut and he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “You know I love how round it is. Can’t wait to watch it bounce on my cock while you beg for more.”
“You’re going to get us in trouble,” he said, glancing down at himself, and I knew his joggers were tenting.
“So? We’re adults. If we want to fuck, then who cares? And Jonny’s going out, so it’s not like he’s going to hear us do filthy things to each other.” I’d never said that before but frankly my patience had been stretched to breaking point. We’d been sneaking around for weeks now and it was very obvious that Mason wasn’t freaking out about hooking up with me, so at some point we needed to openly acknowledge what we were doing or get off the fucking ride. Even if we just agreed to keep things casual—which would kill me but whatever, it would still be something—I’d rather do that than pretend nothing was going on.
I’d never wanted to be anyone’s secret unless there was a very good reason, and it felt like Mason’s and my reason had run out of road.
Mason looked at me for a long second and I wondered if I’d pushed too hard, but all he said was, “I told West. About us. About me. He, er, he’d already guessed.”
“If it helps, so had Rory. He asked me about it today, but West hadn’t told him. Apparently, though, I was the reason you might have started questioning? Something about a drag show last November?” My voice turned teasing and Mason groaned, hanging his head as he went back to washing the last of the saucepans.
“Yeah… I mean I’m pretty sure I’d been thinking about it subconsciously but then I saw you on stage in your latex an d thigh-high boots, and well… I’ve always thought you were cute, Ryan. I just didn’t do anything about it until you forced my hand.”
“And by that do you mean you walking in on me and then joining in?”
“Yeah, and then asking me if I wanted to explore. It was the first time anyone had really asked if I was up for it.” His voice was soft and there was almost a hint of awe there. “I wasn’t ever sure if I’d get to do that. I’ve only been with women, and I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in exploring with someone like me. I’m pretty big… intimidating… and clueless as fuck sometimes. I mean, I know some guys like bears but I don’t know if I really qualify and I’m not sure how most queer people feel about being with someone who’s going through their sexual awakening in their mid-twenties, which isn’t that old but—”
“Mason,” I said, cutting off his rambling and rubbing my hand up and down his back. “It’s okay, I promise. And I’m sorry if people have made you feel like that, but I promise I think you’re gorgeous as fuck, funny, charming, and I love your body. And you’re not too old to be exploring this stuff. Twenty-six is so fucking young in the grand scheme of things.”
“I feel old sometimes,” he said.
“Maybe that’s because you throw yourself at other men for fun and put your body through a meat grinder.”
He chuckled. “Might be. Can’t say for sure, though.”
I leant forward, rocking onto my tiptoes, and kissed him softly. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many emotions I wanted to express, but I didn’t know how. My heart and mind were abuzz with chatter, my thoughts and feelings so loud that they all drowned each other out and left me with a screaming mass inside my brain that physically hurt. All I could say was, “Think about what you want tonight. I’m going to go and see where Jonny’s got to. I can’t take you apart if he’s sitting downstairs playing Call of Duty .”
Mason nodded and kissed me again—a fond peck on the lips like the sort you gave a partner just because you could. “Good luck. Hopefully he hasn’t emptied half his wardrobe all over the floor like the last time he hung out with Devon.”
It took me less than ten minutes to convince Jonny that the T-shirt and jeans he’d picked out were perfect and shoo him out the door, reminding him to have fun but not too much because if he was hungover at brunch tomorrow, I was going to read him for filth in front of the whole restaurant. Mason had finished the washing up and there was a crackling tension in the air that I could taste on my tongue.
“Your room or mine?” Mason asked, pulling me into his arms in the kitchen and looking down at me with eyes full of need.
“Wherever you’d be most comfortable.”
“Yours then,” he said as he brushed his lips against mine. “You’ve got that floor-length mirror and I want to see what I look like getting fucked.”
I groaned softly into his mouth, desire igniting inside me like oil catching on fire. “Fuck, I can’t wait to see that. I can’t wait to be inside you. I promise I’ll take care of you, baby. I’m going to make you feel so good.”
“I know you will,” Mason said. “I trust you, Ry.”
I didn’t know what was sexier: the way he said my name or the fact that he trusted me. It made me want to give him everything.
I kissed him again, deeper and fiercer this time, hoping that I could show him how much that trust meant to me. He wrapped me in his arms, utterly enveloping me. I wasn’t a small person, but I felt small in Mason’s arms, and the fact that he loved worshipping me and submitting to me, even in a relaxed way, just made things even hotter.
I’d never expected our casual hook-up to evolve this way, but I wasn’t going to complain. We were so fucking compatible it made my soul sing.
Mason slid his hands down my back and cupped my ass, squeezing my cheeks and making me moan. He bent his knees and pulled his mouth back far enough to say, “Put your hands around my neck and hold on.”
A surprised squeal and a laugh bubbled out of my throat as he scooped me up like I weighed no more than a feather, his hands tucking under my butt as he carried me towards the stairs. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, but I felt completely safe in his arms.
I resisted the temptation to trail kisses up and down his neck while he climbed the stairs because the last thing I wanted was to distract him and end up in a crumpled heap on the floor with a broken leg .
As soon as we got to the landing, Mason pressed me up against the wall, kissing me hungrily and squeezing my ass. My cock hardened between us, and I groaned, desperate to get into my room but not wanting this to end. I might have loved taking charge, but fuck was it hot to be pressed against the wall like this.
I definitely had to ask Mason if he’d fuck me like this one day.
Mason’s erection brushed against my ass and I tried to grind down on it, imagining how good it would feel stretching me wide and filling me up. While I’d always loved being a bossy top, there was something about taking charge while bottoming that scratched an itch deep inside me. It was like the perfect balance of control and vulnerability.
And taking charge of a big, beautiful man while bouncing on his cock and warning him not to come until he was told to was all kinds of delicious.
But that could wait until another day. I’d promised to fuck Mason, and I couldn’t wait to get inside him.
“Bedroom. Now,” I said, growling out the words as I nipped Mason’s bottom lip. “I’m not fucking you out here.”
“I didn’t know we were in a rush.”
“We’re not. But also, if I don’t get you naked and in my bed soon, I’m going to fucking explode.”
Mason chuckled, the sound breathing itself into me and filling me with joy. “And I thought I was the needy, desperate one.” He kissed me and then turned and carried me towards my room, kicking the door open and using his foot to shut it behind us .
He walked me over to the bed, which was thankfully clear of clothes, and gently put me down, his knee falling between my thighs as he leant over me. He nudged my nose with his, a soft smile on his lips that seemed to radiate adoration. Whatever this was, it had gone beyond the realm of casual but neither of us yet had the courage to ask for anything more.
Mason’s mouth was sweet as he kissed me again, his body blanketing mine. Everything between us had slowed down again, the raging inferno of immediate need tempered to something deeper but utterly scorching. As much as I wanted to be inside Mason, I didn’t want to rush through tonight. I wanted to savour every touch and commit every second to memory. My ADHD meant I often had a tendency to get distracted but I was so focused on giving Mason everything he needed that I knew I would happily spend hours in bed with him, giving him whatever he wanted.
“What are you thinking about?” Mason asked.
“Just you,” I said, reaching up to brush my hand through his short hair. “And what I’m going to do to you.”
He grinned and slowly rolled his hips, and I felt the brush of his erection through his shorts. I groaned and let out a weak chuckle. “I told you I was the desperate one,” he said.
“Then you better get naked,” I said, gently pushing him up. I sat up as he pulled away, watching as he began to strip off, my eyes wandering across the endless expanses of muscle that were dotted with fresh bruises. “Do they hurt?”
Mason frowned and then looked down at his ribs, running his fingers across a patch of skin that was blossoming purple and red. “I mean, yeah, if I prod them. But I’m kinda used to them now.”
I slid to the edge of the bed and put my legs over the side. Mason was stood naked in front of me, and I put my hands on his waist as I tipped forward and gently kissed the nearest bruise. “You’re amazing,” I said softly. “And I’m so proud of you.”
“It’s nothing really, just my job.”
“No,” I said. “Don’t do that. Don’t undersell yourself like that.”
“Fine.” He leant down and caressed my jaw before drawing me in for a kiss. “But you’re just as amazing as me. Deal?”
“I’ll accept that.” I stood and found myself pressed against him, the heat of his body radiating through my clothes.
Mason smiled at me and kissed me again. “Take me to bed, Ry. I need you to fuck me.”