Caleb forced himself to keep his eyes open despite the mind-blowing bliss but Mason was still there. “God, I miss your face,” he whispered. A shock of black hair fell over the familiar almond-shaped eyes. Mason shook back his hair and closed his slender fingers around Caleb’s cock. A smile played across his full mouth like the sun breaking through the clouds.
Caleb shook his head. It’s not real, he reminded himself. So why was he falling in love all over again? Mason kissed a burning trail up his muscular torso to his lips, and Caleb weakened. It did not matter what was real and what was fantasy. There was no resisting this temptation his mind had conjured to console him for what he had lost.
“How much do you miss me?” Mason moaned.
“Mm…more than words…”
Caleb’s dick grew painfully erect, and he wrapped his arms around Mason’s ghost and pulled him closer. Mason kissed him languidly like there was no rush. The scent of his cologne unexpectedly filled Caleb’s nostrils, playing with his head again.
Maybe it was real. But no. They were in the attic apartment Caleb had not seen in months, in the bed where sex had taken them down a dangerous path. To love and heartbreak. This was a dream, and Caleb did not want it to end. He stopped dwelling on the setting and focused on the man in his arms.
He nipped at Mason’s bottom lip, thrusting deeper into Mason’s palm as he cupped his face and stared into his dark eyes the way he longed to do in real life. When Mason brought their erections together and slowly dragged a palm from base to tip over both of them, Caleb’s throbbing member reacted with a shiver and a dollop of pre-cum beaded on the tip.
“I think you have you forgotten me.” Mason whispered.
“How can I?” Caleb grunted deep in his chest as Mason pushed him to the mattress and straddled him.
“Touch me and show me you haven’t.”
Caleb groaned as he slid his hand down Mason’s smooth chest. He watched the look on his face, so unforgettable. Mason bit his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Caleb’s fingers trailed through the sparse black hair on Mason’s stomach and tangled in his pubes. He caressed the proud rigid staff spearing toward him and masturbated Mason with a slow stroke of his hand.
“Like that,” his lover urged.
Mason bent to kiss him, sending desire pounding through Caleb’s sex-starved being. How long had it been? He had not even tried to be with others. His body only thrilled to the touch of one person. As if reading his mind, Mason seductively straddled his hips and glided along his cock. It made Caleb push his head back into the pillows and push his hips forward to grind against him.
“Ooh, yes!” Caleb hissed expectantly. He gripped Mason’s thighs and held him steady as he chased his mouth with deeper penetration of his tongue. Mason squeezed Caleb’s nipples, eliciting a groan. “I’ve missed you so much. Give it to me.”
“Take it.”
Caleb reached beneath them and guided his erection into Mason’s tight sheath. “Is this what you want?”
“Mm!” The quiet hum of excitement and anticipation made Caleb clench his eyes shut with pleasure and remembrance as Mason slid down his steel rod and took him completely. His lids fluttered open to see the look of abject surrender on Mason’s face. Mason put his finger to Caleb’s mouth, and Caleb desperately pulled the digit past his lips to suck while Mason rode him.
Mason was impossibly tight and around his thick shaft. He moved slow and hard to draw out the torture. Caleb felt like he was gripped in a fist that would milk him of every ounce of jizz. He pushed a hand through his hair and growled at the bliss. Mason’s every move was a tantalizing glimpse at what he could have only in dreams.
Drawing his finger from Caleb’s mouth, Mason ran the hand down his flat abs and touched himself. He sighed shakily, and Caleb felt the touch deep in his own core. He gasped in anticipation at how his lover’s body grew harder right before his very eyes. Mason stared at him intently, stroking his erection with the same slow, precise rhythm he used to make love to Caleb.
With his free hand, Mason reached behind him and fondled Caleb’s balls. The feathery caress made Caleb flinch. He hissed in a breath and abruptly sat up to kiss Mason’s chin, his mouth dropping open in a moan as he sucked and licked his way to Mason’s lips while the inferno raged between them. He remembered this. Chest to chest, they rocked together. Their mutual sounds of ecstasy filled the room.
The breathless Korean whispers sent Caleb back in time, and he hugged Mason closer, wishing it was more than a dream. “Don’t stop,” he begged. Caleb’s hips rose and fell from the mattress with powerful up-thrusts into Mason’s soaking wet oasis. The thrusts jostled Mason in his arms, and with the forceful thrusts, he grunted and squeezed Caleb tighter. His ass constricted around Caleb’s swollen shaft. Caleb cried out breathlessly. “Oh, my God, you—Ah! You’ll make me come! Don’t!”
Caleb fell back to the bed as Mason rose off his cock and deftly turned to ride him in reverse. He gritted his teeth, clawing down Mason’s back when he descended on his steel pipe again. Caleb watched him sinuously roll his body to take him deep and slowly let him go. Mason swirled his hips, adding to the thrill. When he shyly glanced over his shoulder to gauge Caleb’s reaction, Caleb bit his bottom lip and nodded. Just like that, he channeled. His head lolled in languid acceptance of his fate. This could only end in surrender.
Mason swirled up and down in a carousel of gratification, his sounds of pleasure coming louder as he moved faster. Caleb’s heels dug into the mattress as he tried to take it, but the exhilaration was almost too much to bear. He moved restlessly and tried to restrain the building tension. Mason’s ass puckered around him in a slick, wet kiss, destroying any chance at self-control.
“Caleb!”
“Uhn!” Growling, Caleb held him by the hips and hammered up and into him, taking the tempo even faster. Mason sobbed his name again. Caleb groaned at the intense sensations flooding him. “Why did you leave?” Mason whispered, tightening around him again. Caleb bucked harder, almost coming. “I want you back…”
Caleb threw Mason off before the erotic session ended prematurely. Besides, he was letting his imagination run away with him. Mason was likely on to bigger and better things, not pining after him. Caleb’s subconscious was painting the picture he wanted to see. He reminded himself this was about getting off and letting go.
He stretched over Mason, kissing him ferociously with a hunger that knew no bounds. He reached down and caressed Mason’s pulsating cock as he plundered his mouth, and he swallowed the urgent cries of pleasure that burst past Mason’s lips. Caleb found the entrance and plunged inside. “Huh!” Mason gasped. He clutched Caleb’s face and looked him in the eyes as Caleb sank deeper. “I want you back,” Mason repeated. Caleb shuddered violently, moaning.
It’s just a dream, he thought. But Mason would not let him look away. Caleb held himself up with one hand, the other raking through Mason’s thick black hair. He danced in and out with a forward sway of his pelvis. His lips parted. Caleb kissed him tenderly, penetrating Mason’s mouth with his tongue the same way his pounding cock slipped easily to its destination.
He pushed harder and deeper; yet, still their eyes connected. Caleb squared his jaw and poured his sexual frustrations into the act as the pleasure climbed. His punishing thrusts shook them both. Mason’s neck arched, and he looked at him from beneath half-lowered lids. Caleb’s brow furrowed. He had to look away, or this would be real, and it was not. It could not be. It was simply about getting off and letting go.
“I love you, Caleb,” Mason whispered sultrily.
“No!” Caleb shouted, tearing away from him.
Clutching himself, he marched away from the bed in the too-familiar attic apartment that was not his any longer. “Are you here to satisfy me or to torment me?” he asked bitterly. He threw his body on the white sofa and covered his face with his hands. None of this was real, and the longer the lucid dream lasted, the more he realized that he did not want a facsimile. He wa
nted Mason back.
He felt a timid hand touch his shoulder and looked up at what his brain had constructed from memory. The pale perfect body, dark hair and intense black eyes. The expressive mouth. The hands that had stoked fires that seemed impossible to put out. Caleb bit his fist and stared up at him.
Mason kneeled on the abstract rug in front of him and put his hands on Caleb’s thighs, making Caleb open up his body to receive him. When Mason’s mouth slipped over his erect phallus, Caleb laid his head on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes so it could be done, so he could escape. In the quiet, dark space inside his mind, he heard Mason loud and clear.
“You can’t get away from how we feel. Let me love you.”
Caleb groaned and let Mason’s mouth immerse him in ecstasy. He cupped the back of Mason’s neck and rode his tongue harder, a grunt torn from him as his body reacted to the magic. “Then, love me,” Caleb gasped. His eyes widened as his manhood fired off on Mason’s lips. Semen erupted from his quivering cock and doused his lover. Mason swallowed him down and stroked him to release more.
Caleb’s eyes opened wide. “Mason!” he groaned as he came awake. “Ah! Fuck!” He masturbated uncontrollably, letting his ejaculate rain on the burgundy sheets of his twin-sized bed in the apartment in San Francisco. He grunted as the last drops shook free, and he fell back into the mountain of pillows at the head of his bed. Caleb fought his way back to reality through a haze of desire.
The annoying bleat of the alarm clock jangled his nerves. He slapped it across the room. There was no one here with him. The mind-blowing sex was not real. Why was he thinking about Mason more and more? With the spring semester over, he was supposed to be dedicating his time to promoting his artwork, not clinging to the past.
Oh, shit! The interview!
Caleb stumbled from the bed and yanked off the sheets to toss them in the washer. He could hardly believe he had had another wet dream, and he was behind schedule as a result. A glance at the time showed him that he had only thirty minutes to get ready for the interview with the magazine. Grumbling, he padded to the bathroom for a shower.
He went over his relatively hectic schedule for the day; an interview with the magazine, meeting with a potential agent, and then a dinner date with Gregoire’s friend. He was kind of pleased with the modestly successful run his collection was having on the West Coast.
“First and foremost, I need to find my focus and put together some goals now that it seems I have a future to look forward to.” Caleb was finally getting his career back on track, which was why this was not the time to be fixating on his ex.
He did not wait for the water to get hot when he turned on the showerhead. Caleb stepped under the tepid spray, shivering, but knowing it was what he needed to cool his fiery libido. He missed Mason so much he could almost smell him on his skin. He turned the water up higher, in a futile attempt to wash away the memories.
“The wedding looked amazing! I hope you guys enjoy your honeymoon,” Mason said with a smile.
Robert flashed a thumbs up from the screen of his phone. “We plan to have a blast! What about you? How are you enjoying yourself?”
Mason walked along a pathway in Bodnant Garden, a popular tourist destination in Wales. He turned his phone around so his brother could see the vibrant pink, white and purple flowers. “I’m finding plenty to write about. My travel blog is gaining followers and my platform is growing. It all bodes well for my upcoming book. Did Mom and Dad say anything about my absence from your wedding?”
“They did, actually.” Robert laughed at Mason’s dismayed expression. “Believe it or not, they had nothing but good things to say about it. Anyone who would listen got regaled with stories of your travels. Mom kept bringing out her cellphone to show the pictures you sent her.”
“I’m surprised.” Mason was pleased.
“Oh, and Riesling asked about you.”
His lips tightened. “Hmm, did she? I haven’t spoken to her since I left. I thought it might be better for us if I gave her some time to get used to not being around me.”
“Yeah, well, I think she may officially be over you. She met our cousin, Tae, and that was all she wrote.”
They chuckled together. “I’m glad she’s happy,” Mason murmured. “I’m glad everyone is happy.”
“Wish I could say the same for you,” Robert said lightly. “Do you still want to see him again?”
“I dreamed about him last night,” Mason confessed shyly. “I can’t seem to get away from seeing him, if only in my head.” He chuckled. He had finally gotten used to talking to his brother about his relationship with the artist, but some secrets came easier than others.
“It’s bizarre that a person can just disappear like that. How many months did you search for him? Three?”
“It doesn’t matter. I know he doesn’t want to be found, or he would’ve given Gregoire a way for me to get in touch with him. He probably thinks he’s doing me a favor, and I guess he is. After all, I gave up the hunt to pursue my dreams. I have an agent now. I’m doing what I always wanted to do.” Mason shrugged and glanced at the tourists breezing past him in the floral scented paradise. “What more can I ask for?” He smiled wistfully.
Robert murmured, “Your happily ever after.”
“I’ll leave that to people like you and Belinda and maybe Tae and Riesling. Congratulations, again, on tying the knot. Now I need to get to the hotel in time to pack for my next flight.” Mason did not want to continue the conversation that was causing him sadness. He had gotten better at hiding it, but eventually Robert would realize he was still in pain, aching to hold the man who made him feel like spring. Mason suppressed a sigh.
“Wait, when will you be back stateside?” Robert asked before ending the call.
“Um, I’m not sure. I’m currently writing a series of travel pieces for a magazine and I have a few destinations lined up that I can’t break unless I have a really valid excuse.”
“Well, check your email. I sent you a little something. And, when you do finally get back on this continent, I want to see you.”
“Okay,” Mason replied cheerfully. “Talk to you later, bro.”
He swiped to end the video call and directed his attention to the meandering path that led back to the bus station. While he waited for his ride, he wondered what his brother had sent him via email, but he was not curious enough to check just yet. His mind was full of packing plans, plot ideas and notes for the paid writing assignment with a travel magazine that his agent had secured for him. Mason had a ticket for Nairobi, a destination that promised to deliver plenty of content for the magazine as well as amazing imagery for his sci-fi story of a young adult globetrotter.
Mason dozed on the bus, barely aware of the buzz of foreign conversation around him. Within a half hour, he arrived at his hotel and took the elevator to the floor where his modest room was. The travel mag provided room and board at each destination, which made it easier for him to handle the costs of traveling. He could hardly believe that mere months ago he had been in a sleepy New England town on the verge of giving thoughts of ever seeing the world.
During his travels, Mason had created enough memories to last a lifetime. Odd then that the most unforgettable one was a man he had met before stepping out of his safe, boring former life. He bit his bottom lip to still the tremble that crept up, signaling tears he refused to shed. When he pulled his luggage from the closet, his cellphone fell out of his pocket, reminding him to check his email.
Sighing, Mason plopped down on the loveseat and pulled up the message from his brother. “I think you need to see this.” He frowned at the link to the San Francisco Gazette, but he clicked it, and their website appeared on his screen. A video clip began to play.
“Twenty-one and Counting?” Mason whispered.
The newscaster in the clip spoke animatedly about a new collection at a popular Bay Area gallery that was creating a buzz from coast to coast. It was called Twenty-One and Counting: The Experience
s of Age by Caleb O’Hara. Paintings from the showing filled the screen, and Mason sucked in a breath. He was looking at himself. He had found him. Caleb was in San Francisco.
To get to him, Mason would have to give up his job for the travel magazine. Mason knew he needed the writing experience to further his outreach. Was Caleb worth putting his dreams on hold for yet again?
Chapter 15
Caleb gestured at the paintings and people behind him as the camera panned wider and captured the gallery opening event. Alyssa had really come through. She had managed to get his art shown at a larger gallery, and the magazine interview had catapulted him into the spotlight.
As soon as he entered the building, a reporter shoved a microphone in his face and asked him for a reaction. “It’s unexpected,” Caleb replied modestly. “I worked for years in New York, and I had my share of successes and failures, but I had pretty much given up on any hopes of hitting the big time again, so to speak.”
“Is there anyone you would like to credit with helping you on this journey?” The striking brunette smiled encouragingly.
Caleb shrugged and grinned self-consciously. He had almost forgotten the heady excitement that came with being the center of attention. “I would definitely like to thank my agent, Gregoire DeSimone, without whom I would not be here. I’m pleased to announce that he will continue to represent me for the foreseeable future.” Caleb had a list of other people to thank, but the reporter jerked the microphone back.
“What about your muse?”
He looked skyward, laughing. “Yes of course, I thank my muse from the bottom of my heart.”
“Who is he?”
Caleb shook his head. “That will remain a mystery.”
“And, while I have you here, there is speculation in some circles that your muse is in fact a secret love interest. I think I speak for everyone when I say that’s a surprise, considering your reputation with the ladies. I wonder what Ms. Jade Wellington thinks.”
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