by Riley Hart
“Makes you feel small.”
Mason nudged him. “We jumped out of an airplane today and this makes you feel small?”
Gavin chuckled. “They both do, in a way. Skydiving is a rush, though. You don’t get to take the time to just be in the moment, to think about shit. Up here, you can think; makes you realize there really is a whole world out there, and that does make you feel small.”
Yeah, he got where Gavin came from on that one. “It’s a good kind of small, if that makes sense.” And then, “Look at us, jumping out of planes, hiking and contemplating life. You trying to get me centered, or something?”
Gavin laughed the way Mason hoped he would. The man had a sexy smile, and Mason liked putting it on his face.
“It’s funny, you climb all the way up, just to turn around and go back down.” The softness in Gavin’s voice told Mason he wasn’t ready to leave, which was fine by him.
“Sit down. No one said we had to go anywhere yet.”
Gavin looked Mason’s way and raised a brow. “Bossy, aren’t you?”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. And just think, I actually am your boss. What should I do with all that power?”
“Are you going to make me regret taking this job? I really wanted to like you, but you know it’s impossible to like asshole bosses. The man always trying to hold us down and all.”
Mason laughed. “Shut up and sit down. My legs are tired.”
“Bossy,” he heard Gavin playfully mumble, but then he sat down, leaning against a rock. Mason went down beside him. It was Gavin who spoke first. “I wish I had my guitar out here with me.”
A light wind brushed over his skin. It was quiet, peaceful and quiet. “Yeah, me, too.” Not just because he wanted to hear Gavin play, either. Just seeing him with a guitar the one time showed Mason how much music helped set Gavin free.
“Why’d you leave your job, man?” Gavin had obviously loved it.
Gavin answered his question with one of his own. “If your family supported you, why didn’t you feel like you fit with them?”
Eh, that was an easy one. “Because I didn’t. Most of it was what I said earlier; they wanted one thing from me and I wanted another. It was hard, though, when you have a good family who would do anything for you. It makes it tough to let them down. Most people would be happy to be handed the reigns to a million-dollar business.”
Gavin picked up a small pebble, rolling it around in his hands. “Not you?”
“Yes and no. I appreciated it, but I didn’t want it. It’s hard to explain. I wanted something I created for myself, ya know? Hell, when I moved to Blackcreek I didn’t even let anyone know who I am. I didn’t want to be associated with Alexander’s. I wanted Creekside to be something Mason did on his own—not Mason Alexander’s experiment. That’s how I had to twist it, though—that I was just a man who owned some restaurants, left them and moved here, when really, to my family, it was my experiment. The plan had originally been to move back to Denver for the restaurants. I love my family. I always have. But I still always felt different. Then one day, I found out why.”
When Mason didn’t continue, Gavin lightly pushed him with his elbow. “Are you going to tell me why?”
Mason got a cramp in his gut. The words were still hard to say, even though he wasn’t sure if it should be as difficult as it was. “Because I don’t. Not really. Stumbled upon paperwork I shouldn’t have. Oh, hey, we forgot to tell you, son. You’re not really our son. You belong to a drug addict your mom went to college with.” Maybe at his age, it shouldn’t matter. Maybe he shouldn’t care. His family loved him, raised him, and treated him well. Did blood really matter? To him, it did.
The fact that they’d never told him mattered. That Isaac had found out but didn’t tell him, either. And knowing that his mom got clean when he was ten years old and he’d still not gotten so much as a phone call from her mattered as well.
It hurt like hell.
***
Damn, Gavin definitely hadn’t expected that. He could tell there was more to the story as well. “Do you know where she is? Have you contacted her? Asked your parents about her?”
Mason turned his head toward Gavin. “I don’t think so. My turn is over. Aren’t we playing the get-to-know-you game? Tit for tat, Teach. Don’t tell me I have to explain to you the rules of the game.”
Gavin leaned his head back against the tree, waiting to feel himself clam up, waiting to feel the urge to pull back because Mason was trying to find out too much about him.
It didn’t happen.
“They found out I was gay.”
“How did they not know you are gay?”
Gavin shrugged. “Am I supposed to go around with a sign on my forehead? Maybe my back, too?” He tried to stand but Mason grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
“Don’t. You know that’s not what I meant.”
And he did. “I was…discreet. I taught at a Christian school. My dad’s a teacher, and Mom was before she had me. All I ever wanted to do was teach, and I didn’t want to threaten that, so I kept my business to myself. It’s not as if I had a lot of time to date, anyway.”
Mason still held Gavin’s wrist as they sat there. He liked the feel of the strong hand on him.
“And?”
Gavin almost called him bossy again but figured this wasn’t the best time. The ache in his stomach got worse. Spilling his guts to a man he just met wasn’t his idea of a good time, yet he found himself willing to do it anyway. “I noticed a boy being picked on. We started talking. I wanted to help him. The kid admitted he’s gay. I gave him my support, his parents didn’t like it. There went my job. That’s the basics of it. Tried to help a kid, lost my job.”
Wasn’t that his job as a teacher? To help? Wasn’t that his job as a human being? Apparently not where they’d been concerned.
When Mason didn’t reply, Gavin looked his way. Mason’s green eyes pinned him, trapped him with what looked like respect burning there. Gavin wanted that look, wanted someone who got it, and Mason didn’t have to say it for Gavin to know he did. “You did the right thing.”
“I know.” And in reality he did, but from there on, he’d done nothing to fight.
Mason licked his lips, and Gavin found himself wanting to be the one to do it. Mason was a sexy man. His short hair looked soft. Gavin wanted to grab it, but initiating things wasn’t typically his game.
“I want to kiss you. Not sure it’s a good idea, though.”
Gavin wasn’t, either, but he wanted it. Right now, he really fucking wanted it. “It is—a good idea.” The words hardly left his mouth before Mason’s lips touched his, gentle and slow. His hand moved from Gavin’s wrist to cup the side of his face as he teased Gavin’s mouth open.
It had been much too long since Gavin kissed a man. The second their tongues touched things went from zero to sixty in no time flat. All he could think about was wanting more.
Mason’s hand pulled his hair as his tongue pushed into Gavin’s mouth. Urgent. Hungry. Incredible.
Gavin didn’t notice him move, but suddenly Mason sat on top of him, straddling his legs. His body was hard, his thighs thick with corded muscle as they hugged Gavin’s body.
Mason grabbed Gavin’s hand and put it on his jean-covered erection. “I’ve been hard for you all day. I’m really not sure this is a good idea. It’s your call. Tell me to stop if you want me to. No hard feelings. This is completely separate from the job.” And then his mouth owned Gavin’s again.
Gavin wanted to be owned.
He should take Mason up on his chance to pull the brakes on things. He worked for the guy, and they both obviously had big shit going on in their lives. But he wanted this. He wanted Mason. Wanted a man. And he hadn’t taken something for himself in too damn long.
Gavin squeezed Mason’s dick, rubbed it through the fabric. “Do you have any condoms?” Gavin let that be his answer. He dropped his head backward when Mason bit his neck. Hard.
And h
e fucking loved it.
“No… Don’t need them. I’m going to suck you off. Tell me before you come and I’ll watch you blow all over your own stomach. Maybe make you eat it off yourself and then you’ll suck me and I’ll do the same for you.”
Gavin’s prick jerked, much too stifled behind his zipper. He wanted what Mason said. Wanted it so much he feared that the second his cock slipped into Mason’s warm, wet mouth, he’d lose it.
Mason crawled between Gavin’s legs. They both had dirt all over them but he didn’t give a shit.
Gavin went to unbutton his shorts but Mason shoved his hands away. “This is my game. I get to do what I want.”
And then it was Mason’s hands unbuttoning Gavin’s pants, sliding his zipper down. Pulling his jeans open. Leaning over, he nuzzled his face into Gavin’s crotch, sucked him through his underwear and his cock jerked again. Ached with need.
“Oh, fuck.”
Gavin grabbed the back of Mason’s head, ready to hold him down if he had to, when he heard it—“We’re almost there. Not much farther, Tammy.”
“Shit!” Mason groaned against him but didn’t move. Gavin’s pulse kicked up. He pushed Mason away, fumbling with his pants as he tried to get them closed again. Mason rolled, now lying in the dirt, his head next to a rock and his arm thrown over his face. The second Gavin got his shorts button and zipped, two people appeared.
“Hey! Gorgeous view, isn’t it?” The woman asked.
Mason didn’t answer, leaving Gavin to play nice with the people who just kept him from getting off.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mason and Gavin waited it out for a while, but the other couple wasn’t leaving. The longer they sat there, Mason could see the change in Gavin—see him starting to overthink things. Or hell, maybe that was him. Or he was imagining things. All he knew was, despite the hunger eating him alive and the ache in his dick¸ the mood was dead.
“You ready to head back down?” Mason asked him. When Gavin agreed, he stood and started the hike back down. He didn’t take the time to dust off the dirt from his clothes. Mason didn’t really give a shit about that. He was horny and in a bad mood.
The trip down went faster than the trip up. Their drive home was the same. They talked off and on, not about anything important. During the downtime, Mason found himself thinking about the strangest things. Not how much he’d wanted a dick in his mouth earlier, but about the things Gavin said regarding his life and his family.
Christ, he couldn’t imagine being told he would go to Hell—not only because of who he loved, but from someone who loved him.
It didn’t take much for him to see that Gavin was a good guy. A minute with him was all it took for Mason to realize that, and the thought of people not seeing that made his hands tighten almost painfully on the steering wheel. Mason knew he was lucky. He’d never dealt with that kind of outright homophobia, especially from his own family.
The world really was a fucked up place sometimes.
When he pulled up in front of Gavin’s place, he didn’t kill the engine.
Gavin unclicked his seatbelt. “Thanks for today. That was…holy shit, we jumped out of a plane together today.”
Mason wasn’t sure why but that made him laugh. “We did. It clear your head?”
“As much as it could.”
“Good.” He nodded his head. “I’ll give you a call once I figure out the schedule. You’re available any day, right?”
“I am. Listen…about earlier,” Gavin said, “We were both horny, almost got lucky, but hell, maybe with working together, things ended up the way they should be.”
No, things didn’t feel like they ended up the way they should. But then, maybe they had. He was just talking about making the guy’s work schedule. Mason was his boss. Plus, Gavin obviously had a whole lot of shit going on in his life right now. Fucking his boss might not be something he wanted to deal with.
“Yeah…maybe. Still wish I could have sucked you off before we decided that.”
Gavin laughed, his hand on the door as he stood there. “You’re not the only one who wishes that.”
Mason smiled at him. “Have a good day, Teach. Go in there and jack off while you think about me.”
Gavin’s brow kicked up. “That an order, boss?”
“It sure is.”
They said their goodbyes and Mason drove off. When he got home he did exactly what he told Gavin to do—rubbed one out thinking about Gavin. Then, he sat in bed naked to figure out the work schedule.
Every shift Gavin worked, he worked with Mason.
***
It was Tuesday. Gavin hadn’t seen Mason since their day out on Sunday. He would be working Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week, and he pretty much had nothing going on until he went in for his first day tomorrow.
I should go see my parents… It wasn’t the first time he thought that the past couple days, yet still he didn’t go—just continued letting his fingers strum his guitar.
Bang, bang, bang, bang! A loud thump came through the front door before, “Let me in, you hermit!”
As he stood, Gavin set his guitar down and rolled his eyes at Braden. As soon as he opened the door, his loud-mouthed friend started speaking again. “You move to Blackcreek because you missed me so much, yet I haven’t seen you since the wedding. What’s been going on?”
“Back porch?” Gavin asked.
“Sure.”
They headed out and sat down. “I didn’t move here because I missed you.”
“Sure you did. So what’s been going on with you?”
“Not a lot. I got a job.”
“No shit?” Braden put his feet up on the porch railing. “That was quick. I figured the process would take more time getting hired at a school.”
Gavin made it a point not to look at Braden when he replied. “I’m not working at a school.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, either.
“Teaching at a music store or something?”
Still no eye contact. If he did, Braden would push harder. His friend already didn’t know when to quit. “Nope. I’m a bartender.”
He felt Braden’s eyes on him.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just…don’t know what I want to do.” And that was the truth.
“Fine. Fair enough. Can we talk about the bite mark on your neck?” Braden jammed his finger into the tender spot by Gavin’s throat. “Looks like you move a lot quicker than you used to. Good for you.”
Gavin shoved him. “Fuck you.” When Braden sat there watching him, Gavin knew he had no choice but to continue. This Braden wouldn’t let go. “It’s nothing. It was Mason. Considering he’s my boss, it’s probably better that we got interrupted before much of anything could start.” He wasn’t sure why he didn’t share more about their day—the skydiving and the hike. Gavin wanted to keep that to himself.
“No, actually, it’s not better that way. I assure you, getting off is always the better alternative to not getting off. Do you like him?”
What were they, twelve? “I don’t know him. He’s sexy, so there’s a part of me that likes him.” Gavin winked at Braden. “He’s a cool guy to be around.” He got Gavin to go skydiving with him. He wasn’t sure he would have done that with anyone else, yet it had been an easy yes with Mason. “I enjoy his company, but—”
“But nothing. You’ve always been like this. You just let life pass you by. You don’t really go after anything. You’re always tightening your own reigns. If you like him, go after him. If you don’t know, at least get laid. Have some fun, Gav. Live your life. You deserve it. There’s nothing wrong with who you are.”
“I know that.” And he did. He didn’t know what held him back more often than not. Why he was willing to let life pass him by and keep himself in the shadows.
“Preventing yourself from enjoying your life isn’t going to make them change their minds. This is a new start. Let yourself have it. Or at least let Mason fuck your brains out. Jesus Christ, I’ll hire you
a male escort if I have to.”
“I’m not that hard up. I don’t have to pay for it.” Gavin chuckled but didn’t really feel it.
“Hey,” Braden said, more seriously this time. “You’ve done everything right in your life. You’ve been a great son, a good friend to me, and you were a good first boyfriend, too. You’ve sacrificed enough, don’t you think? Isn’t it about time to find out who Gavin Davis really is?”
Yes. “And I’ll learn that by letting Mason fuck my brains out?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sure you’ll have a whole lot of fun regardless.”
With that, Braden pushed to his feet and said his goodbyes. Gavin didn’t move from his spot on the porch.
CHAPTER NINE
Tuesdays were never really busy, but tonight had been crazy. After turning off the open sign and locking the door, Mason didn’t feel like doing anything. Instead of straddling a barstool and opening a bottle, like he wanted to, he went into the kitchen to check on the back. “Everything okay, Dana?”
“Yep. Dishes are done. The kitchen is all cleaned up, except for whatever you have left out front. I’ll help you out there real quick.”
Mason waved her off. “No, that’s okay. I’ll finish up and close up. You can head on out.” Despite being exhausted, if Mason could do things himself, he always preferred that.
“Are you sure?” The blonde asked. She was a college student who lived in her parent’s old house in Blackcreek but drove into the city for school. She had to be even more tired than Mason.
“No, really. I got it. You can go.”
“Thanks. My feet are killing me and I still have an essay to finish.” It was after midnight¸ so that didn’t look real good for her.
“No problem. Keep up the good work. I’ll see you soon.”
She grabbed her things and then headed for the door. Mason walked her to her car like he always did. When she pulled off he heard, “Mind if I come in?” from behind him. He didn’t have to turn to know the sleep-roughed voice belonged to Gavin.
Mason headed his way. “Yeah, sure. You sound like you sleep-drove here.” He locked the door behind them both, and went for the bar. “You want a drink?”
