by Ann Lister
Mason shook his head and sat up to bring their faces together. He leaned in closer and covered Tessler’s mouth in a kiss meant to ravage and convey just how badly he wanted to have this with him.
“You’ve got me too damn curious,” Mason confessed. “If your finger and tongue felt that good, your cock is going to feel even better, right?”
A faint smile curled Tessler’s full lips. “I can assure you, my cock is going to feel ten times better than my finger and tongue,” he boasted.
“Only ten times better? I was hoping for a hundred times better.”
Tessler tackled Mason down onto the mattress and climbed up over him again. “Are you okay doing this on your back?” he asked.
“I think so,” Mason replied. “Just don’t grab onto that leg too firmly or make any sudden position changes. I’ll need time to let the skin stretch into whatever position you put me in.”
“We’ll go slow,” Tessler said, “but you’ll have to tell me the moment something hurts you too much—and I’m talking about your leg as well as me penetrating your ass. Okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Slow is good.”
Mason’s eyes were glued to Tessler as he squeezed a line of lube onto his fingers. A moment later, he felt the cool liquid being rubbed around the rim of his hole and then two of his fingers slipped inside. Mason sucked in a breath at the intrusion but forced himself to relax after Tessler started scissoring his fingers. The discomfort was quickly replaced with desire, and in the seconds that passed thereafter, his need was off the charts. He had his good leg spread as far as it would go, and his healing leg was slowly extending as well. The sensation of having something moving inside of him was lighting him up like a Christmas tree. Nerves he never knew he had were exploding left and right, and when Tessler curled his fingers, Mason thought his head was going to blow open.
“If you touch that spot again like that, I’m going to come,” Mason warned.
“Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Tessler said with a grin and slowly removed his fingers.
It didn’t take Tessler long to roll on the condom, and then he was shifting between Mason’s open legs. He stayed on his knees for a moment and scanned Mason’s body. Seeing Tessler’s hungry eyes on him like that made him feel so fucking exposed, but he was far too turned on to feel self-conscious of that now. If he didn’t come within the next five minutes, he was going to have jack himself off to get some relief. It was that simple. Tessler obviously wanted him, and Jesus, Mason wanted him, too. He wanted Tessler to take him and own the one part of him he’d never thought to offer anyone. Giving it to Tessler felt beyond right—like he’d waited all this time to find Tessler just so he could share this—and only with him.
“Fuck me,” Mason prompted because waiting even one more second to feel Tessler inside of him seemed inhumane, maybe even cruel.
“You want my cock to fill you?”
Mason nodded and reached to wrap his arms around Tessler to pull him down flat against him.
“Words, Mase,” Tessler directed. “You know this is all about your words.”
One of Mason hands slipped behind the back of Tessler’s neck to still him and their eyes locked. A burn of emotion began to sting at Mason’s. This was beyond powerful and he needed Tessler to somehow understand that. “No, Tess,” he whispered breathily. “This is about so much more than the words. This is just . . . more.”
“So much more,” Tessler agreed. His hips rolled gently forward and the head of his cock began to breach Mason’s hole for the first time. It took a little work, but Tessler was able to bring their bodies together with the slow and steady push of his hips. Once he was completely inside, he became motionless and simply stared down at Mason. The weight of this moment hung between them, enormous and bright, like a full moon hanging low in the horizon.
How was it possible to feel this fucking euphoric? Mason thought. It was something he’d never spent any time considering before now—before Tessler. Sex had always felt good to him, and there was no such thing as a bad orgasm. But with Tessler? Jesus, just having the man near him was exceedingly special. This wasn’t merely a physical thing between them, and after tonight, Mason could never dismiss this as a fling again. Emotions were involved now, and there was no way he could ignore that. It wasn’t just their bodies that were joined in this bed. This went far beyond every single one of the physical sensations they’d shared. This was pure and raw and so fucking powerful that Mason was afraid he might burst into tears and cry like a little girl. His heart was so full it ached and felt close to exploding with joy because he’d finally had a chance to feel—truly feel this level of a connection with someone.
Tessler.
The man had seen his horrific physical flaws and still looked upon him as something of beauty. He treated him with respect and patience and found a way to make love to him when Mason didn’t see how he could be attractive to anyone at all. Mason’s eyes were swimming with unshed tears and was about to lose it completely when Tessler started to move his hips in a slow, rhythmic thrust. Mason was quickly drawn to another level of intimacy with the fullness he felt from Tessler being inside of him. Every pitch of Tessler’s narrow hips brought him deeper, and when he withdrew, his cock scraped against that spot each and every time; Mason was already feeling his orgasm starting to build.
“Are you okay?” Tessler asked, then dipped his head to capture Mason’s lips in a tender kiss that belied the gradual intensity building with each of his thrusts.
“I’m so fucking good,” Mason answered breathlessly.
“I’m not hurting you?”
“Not even close,” Mason huffed out.
Tessler adjusted Mason’s good leg and changed the angle of his drives. “Holy fucking shit!” Mason yelled. “Right there! Keep hitting that … spot.”
It only took a few more pumps of Tessler’s hips and Mason began to crash over the edge. Once his orgasm started, there was no stopping it, and Mason had waited far too long for the relief it gave him. He held on tight to Tessler’s hips and allowed the bliss to sweep him away. His balls drew up tight, the fireworks exploding in his eyes became more brilliant, and he started shooting come between them without the need to stroke to his cock—not even once. What Tessler was doing to his insides was more than enough to give him what felt like an endless orgasm that continued through Tessler’s own release.
Tessler let out a final groan as he eased himself out of Mason and rolled them onto their sides to face one another. Mason not only felt boneless, as if his entire body had turned to liquid, he felt lighter than air and ridiculously happy as well.
Tessler snuggled closer. His caresses were soft and tender as they skimmed over Mason’s ribs and down onto his hip. His exploring digits moved directly over Mason’s skin grafts, dipped into the creases left by the many surgeries, and even touched the divots left on the uneven surface of his skin. Mason didn’t flinch at all. He was too damn relaxed to give one single fuck about what Tessler was touching. The fact that Tessler was touching him at all now was just the cherry on the top of what they’d just shared. It made everything perfect.
Tessler offered gentle nips to his lips and throat and then a deliciously deep kiss followed, and Mason was ready to pass out from the overindulgence of sensation. All of a sudden, Tessler’s fingers stopped moving, and Mason felt him almost seem to startle. The tension in Tessler’s body had Mason opening up his eyes. When he did, he saw Tessler looking at his fingers in horror.
“What’s wrong?” Mason asked him.
“You’re bleeding,” Tessler said and sat up in the bed.
“It’s okay. I’m fine,” Mason tried to fluff it off.
“I thought you said I didn’t hurt you?” Tessler questioned. He almost seemed to recoil like Mason was infectious and that made him wish he was invisible.
“You didn’t,” Mason replied maybe a little too harshly. “I would have told you if it hurt in any way.”
Tessler rolled off t
he bed and went into the bathroom, and Mason suddenly felt very exposed. If ever there was a time he could simply disappear into thin air, it was now. He was shifting on the bed to get up when Tessler returned with a warm wash cloth. “You don’t need to clean me up,” Mason said.
“Where’s the blood coming from?” Tessler questioned. “There wasn’t any on the condom when I took it off, so what’s bleeding?”
Mason had already stepped into his jeans and was carefully pulling them up his legs. He turned away from Tessler’s prying eyes when he had to wince from the pain, but he knew Tessler was still waiting for an explanation. Considering what they’d just done in that bed, Mason probably owed him one, too.
“The skin in the bad areas is still thin from being covered up with a cast for such a long damn time, and sometimes when it gets stretched too quickly, it splits,” Mason said. “It’s no big deal. Those areas will just take a long time to heal.”
“No big deal? Mason, you were bleeding!”
“I’m fine. Really.” Mason finished getting his pants on, then bent to grab his shirt from the floor. The whole time Tessler stood naked nearby with his arms crossed over his chest and watched him. When Mason was done, he started walking towards the bedroom door.
“You’re leaving?” Tessler asked.
Hearing the hurt in Tessler’s voice stung a bit, but all Mason could think about now was getting the hell out of there so he could go home and lick his wounds in private … as it should be. “I checked the sheets,” Mason said in a soft voice as he buttoned his shirt. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with Tessler which was cowardly, but that’s exactly what he felt like right now. “I didn’t get any blood on them.”
“Hey,” Tessler said as he reached for Mason’s arm. He gripped it quickly and spun him around to face him. Angry, but compassionate, eyes slammed into Mason and damn near stole his breath. “I don’t give a fuck about my sheets,” Tessler spat. “I care about you. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing,” he said and glanced towards the bedroom doorway.
“Mason. Look at me and tell me what I can do to fix this?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. I can see blood already starting to seep through your jeans,” Tessler stated firmly. “So, tell me what you typically do when this happens? Do you need to see a doctor?”
“Fuck, no!”
“Then, tell me what you do.”
Tessler wasn’t backing down nor was he letting Mason get away with not making eye contact. Tessler’s hand finally held his jaw in place, forcing him to hold his gaze, and that’s when Mason gave up trying to fight it. He was tired of fighting—period, and he was tired of dealing with this all on his own. Maybe it was time he let someone share this burden with him, and maybe that someone was Tessler.
Mason closed his eyes and inhaled. Tessler’s grip on his jaw tightened a bit to remind him he wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Mason. “I have some stuff in my duffel bag downstairs that I use,” Mason said.
“Stay here,” Tessler ordered. “I’ll go get your bag.”
Mason didn’t argue. The pressure and friction of the fabric of his jeans was proving to be too much on his leg. While Tessler was out of the room, he gently eased his pants and boxers back down his legs, then he sat back down on the edge of the bed. A moment later, Tessler hurried back into the room holding the duffel. He held it out to Mason and dropped to his knees beside the bed while Mason dug inside the bag. Mason rifled around inside the duffel, then removed a plastic baggie with an antiseptic cleanser in it and a tube of special burn ointment.
“I’ll get some clean towels,” Tessler offered and got up off the floor to hurry into his bathroom.
When he returned this time, he crouched down next to Mason beside his bad leg. Their gazes met and Mason saw the compassion floating in Tessler’s deep brown eyes. It made his chest feel tight again, and his heart kicked a little faster because of it, too.
Tessler held out a towel, and Mason attempted to dismiss it. “Stop it,” Tessler stated firmly.
“What?”
“I know what you’re thinking,” Tessler said.
Mason scoffed at that notion. “I sincerely doubt you know what I’m thinking right now,” he answered.
“You’re wishing I wasn’t here to see this because it somehow makes you feel less than whatever it is you want me to see you as,” Tessler explained. “That’s bullshit, you know. You’ve created that in your own mind. It’s nowhere near how I truly see you.”
Mason’s mouth gaped open. He couldn’t believe how close Tessler actually was to his truth. What he’d said was almost exactly what Mason was feeling, and knowing how transparent he apparently was somehow made him feel worse.
“You have no idea how I’m feeling,” Mason all but whispered.
“I call bullshit again,” Tessler countered. “You’ll have to try harder if you expect me to believe that.”
“Tess, why are you doing this?” Mason asked.
Tessler stood up and took a seat beside Mason on the bed. It took a few seconds before Tessler started talking, and while Mason waited, he removed the cap for the antiseptic wash to clean the fresh splits in his skin.
“I want to share this with you,” Tessler finally said. “I want to help you in a way that makes you feel, I don’t know … wanted, like you have someone who cares, because I do. That feels like the right thing for me, and I kind of need to feel involved on this level.”
“I don’t want your pity.”
“Pity is the last thing you’ll get from me,” Tessler said with his voice slightly raised. “You deserve a fuck-load more than anyone’s pity.” Tessler reached for the towel in Mason’s hand and wiggled his fingers. “Please. Let me hold it for you while you clean the cuts.”
Mason’s eyes locked with Tessler’s again. The strength he got from them was almost kinetic and so powerful, like the man’s energy was somehow being transferred to him through nothing more than a searing gaze. He hadn’t known how much he needed that until this moment. Mason nodded to Tessler and handed him the towel. “Hold it right under my thigh to catch the drips,” he instructed.
“Okay. We’ll work together as a team,” Tessler said.
It didn’t take long to get the first cut flushed out with the antiseptic wash, then Mason moved on to a couple of others, which were fresh and still slightly bleeding. When it came time to apply the burn ointment though, it was Tessler who did the task while he listened to Mason’s careful instruction. Tessler’s confident touch sent soothing comfort through him, and again, Mason was filled with joy over the fact he’d found a man like Tessler. For the first time since the fire, Mason felt like he really had someone to share this hell with that wasn’t in the medical field and being paid to care for him.
“You’re amazing,” Mason said when Tessler was almost done applying the ointment.
“So are you,” Tessler answered, then he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against Mason’s.
The entire process took several minutes, and Tessler seemed in no rush to get it done. If anything, he dawdled a bit as if he wanted to spend more time touching Mason, but that was okay. Mason didn’t mind at all. In some ways, this was even more intimate than being in bed together, and it left Mason feeling just as breathless, too, but for a completely different reason.
“You really see me as amazing?” Mason asked while Tessler put the caps back on the ointment and antiseptic, then placed both items inside the baggie again.
“Oh, hell yeah. When I first saw you in the coffee shop, you made quite an impression on me,” Tessler stated and then grinned.
“I face-planted myself on the floor at your feet,” Mason said and groaned. “That impressed you?”
“The way you carried yourself showed how strong you are, your integrity, and how you don’t give up for nothing,” Tessler said. “Yeah, you fell, but the way you handled it, like I said, impressed the hell out of me. I don’t s
ee you as being weak, Mason, if that’s what you’re asking. Not in the least. You’re a survivor many times over, and you should be proud of yourself for that. Not many people could rise above personal adversity the way you have and do so with dignity.”
“With dignity and grace?” Mason said and chuckled.
“Well, maybe not the grace … yet, but I have no doubt that one day after you’re completely healed, you will be,” Tessler said. He draped an arm around Mason’s shoulders and tugged him closer to his side. “How about we head downstairs and eat that delicious meal you brought with you?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
He filled two plates with the Italian feast Mason had brought with him and poured them each a glass of wine, then they ate together at the kitchen table. They sat side by side with both of them wearing only their boxer briefs and t-shirts. The whole domesticated scene had Tessler smiling around every bite of food he put into his mouth. This felt so natural for them, like they’d been doing it for years.
It feels like we’re a couple.
Tessler almost choked on a forkful of lasagna as he contemplated what the familiarity of this meant. He’d never been one half of a couple before. The closest he’d come was the twisted relationship he’d had with his first agent, and them being a couple had never been an option. Even Marcus, down in Key West, had always remained in the friend zone, and Tessler was happy about that. So, why was it with Mason he was always looking for more, something that went beyond the boundaries he’d typically encouraged with his other hook-ups?
Because Mason isn’t a hook-up.
In fact, Mason was as far from being a hook-up as it got. What they had was the potential to become the real deal—something lasting, and Tessler couldn’t even believe he was having those thoughts, but he was.
“Something wrong?” Mason asked with serious eyes focused directly on him. As always, those penetrating eyes felt like they were looking right into Tessler’s very soul.
