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5

RAIN

Rain had been lucky a few times in his life. He’d gotten Tristan as a sorta stepdad, landed Tommy as his best friend, scored a job at The Pointe, and now he’d been given a chance with Mason. Bumping into his sexy photographer in the middle of nowhere was a gift that Rain would grab onto with both hands and his dick because so far the night had been magical.

He’d spent most of the weekend wandering around town, flipping through some of the photos from Tristan’s hike when he’d remembered the shelter in the state forest. While buggy and cold, it beat lingering on the streets, but Rain had no idea that it would lead him right to Mason’s doorstep after an oddly fun session in front of the camera.

At one point he’d considered modeling but his height kept him out of the industry and the few shoots he’d done had been cold and barren compared to Mason’s scorching intensity. Rain had never seen that side of him; he’d always seemed bored at weddings but in that short sunset shoot Rain had seen more emotion than he’d expected, and they hadn’t even slept together yet.

Somehow, it made Rain feel connected, and he hadn’t intended to reveal his storage room apartment but the way Mason had been standing there, waiting, trying to hide his trembling hands, had caused Rain to spill his secret.

He knew that Mason’s offer wasn’t fully sexual because he gave off an air that he didn’t understand his attraction, but this wasn’t Rain’s first rodeo. Being this beautiful was bewitching and while it had some negatives, one of the positives was that when he wanted someone, he could almost always have them. However, he needed to tread carefully. Mason seemed like the type to get scared and wall off, so Rain had to hold back a bit and not climb him as soon as they got inside.

“I forgot how nice this place is.” He stood in the driveway, head up, staring at the large white house, its dormer windows peering back at him from the roof. His heart beat strangely, like he was anxious and a little apprehensive, which never happened during his hookups. Maybe he was coming down with something.

“It was my grandmother’s.” Mason walked onto the porch and unlocked the front door. There was a semicircular stained-glass window at the top, and Rain studied it as he was ushered into the foyer.

“That’s what Ollie said. And your grandmother had amazing taste.” Everything looked the same as the last time he’d been there, with antique furniture arranged throughout, the cherry wood walls covered in paintings and framed photos. Rain honed in on one of a woman looking in the distance, strands of hair whipping around her, the emotion in her eyes so layered that Rain couldn’t quite decipher it, but it struck a chord in him. He’d stared at that one many times before on Mason’s website. “Is this yours?” he flirted, knowing full well that it was. “It’s amazing.”

“…thank you.” The words were stiff and Rain could tell from the short time he’d known Mason that he wasn’t used to speaking or entertaining.

“So,” he turned, moving closer to Mason but not too close. Tilting his head just enough for his hair to swing, he curled his lips in a smirk, working his witchcraft. “Did you take pictures of me when I helped Ollie move in?”

Mason drilled into him with his gaze, causing Rain to shiver and bite his lip. Slowly, he nodded once.

“I knew it!” Rain smiled, clapping his hands a little. “You weren’t ignoring us!”

Now that Rain had gotten to know Mason better, he could tell there was sheepishness in his eyes, which snapped to the door next to the kitchen. “I have to…”

“Take more pictures?” Rain chuckled. Mason gave him a look that could only be interpreted as what . “That’s what you said to me the first time you ran off…at The Pointe.”

“Oh.” Mason’s brows crinkled the slightest bit. Looking from Rain to the door, he frowned. “Stay there.” Heading to the kitchen, he opened a door and went down some stairs.

Rain squinted, almost following him, but he should probably respect Mason’s wishes if he wanted to get in his pants; besides, this house of treasures also piqued his curiosity. Strolling around, he studied the art on the walls, eventually stopping in the dining room in front of a painting of a young man. Although his back was to the artist, the way he looked out from the porch could only be described as wistful, with gray swirling among the blue-green hue of the piece, and it reeled Rain in.

Done with his mystery chore, Mason walked into the room, stopping beside him. “That’s me.”

“Really?” Rain studied it further, taking a step closer. “That’s you?”

“My Gran painted it.”

“So that’s where you get your talent from,” Rain mused and Mason’s lip twitched, the right side moving up slightly.

“I’ll show you…” he gestured toward the stairwell, “where you can sleep.”

Mason was giving Rain his own room? Cute. Little did he know that Rain would be sneaking into his bed tonight.

Following Mason upstairs, Rain peeked into Ollie’s room and stopped, his mouth dropping open when he realized that it was empty. Sure, Ollie had brought a few suitcases to treatment but the rest of his stuff should still be here.

“Where are Ollie’s things?” For a few seconds, Rain thought that Mason had thrown him out and then he remembered the smug smile that Finn had been wearing lately, and he put it all together. “Are they at Finn’s?”

Mason frowned in a way that told Rain he’d hit paydirt.

“Oh my god, they’re gonna be living together?” Bouncing on his heels, Rain clapped his hands a few times. “Ollie’s a lucky man.”

Letting out a soft snort, Mason crossed his arms. “He’s with Finn.”

“You don’t like Finn?” Rain tilted his head. Finn was basically the perfect boyfriend, if one wanted a boyfriend, and Rain most certainly did not .

Mason’s expression shifted to distaste. “I don’t care enough about him to dislike him.”

“I dunno. It sounds like you doooo.” Rain put his hands behind his back, teasing, but Mason ignored it. “Anyway, I’m glad Ollie is doing okay. He gets out of treatment tomorrow.” And there was a party in his honor that Rain couldn’t attend because he needed every shift he could get, especially when he was squatting at The Pointe.

“Good.” The distaste gone, Mason looked into the empty bedroom and Rain realized that people had been wrong about Mason because he wasn’t angry or grumpy; he felt things deeply. He worried about Ollie. He refused to let Rain sleep in the wild. And he missed his grandmother. Although his taciturn and gruff nature didn’t expose his emotions, they were still there under the surface, and Rain respected that. After dealing with his unstable mother, it was nice to meet her opposite.

Mason opened a door across the hall. “Here.”

Glancing at Mason, Rain peered inside. The room looked like it had been decorated fifty years ago but he smiled nonetheless, enjoying how Mason shifted, his eyes glimmering.

“Thank you for this.” He leaned in, noting Mason’s slight metallic scent, as if he were made of film, and Rain found it enticing. This would be the moment where they bridged the gap and pressed their lips together but Mason hadn’t gotten the memo because he turned, heading downstairs without a reply. “Where are you going?”

Hand on the banister, Mason stopped. “My apartment.”

“You’re leaving ?” Rain blinked in confusion.

Mason glared at him. “No. My apartment is in the basement. Don’t come down, I’ll be working.”

Rain smirked at Mason’s back as he left. Not only was he going to come down but they were both going to come. However, he should give Mason time to actually work. So, Rain busied himself using the spacious shower in the bathroom next door. It was downright luxurious compared to the ones at the gym and Rain stayed in it for a while, getting extra clean in all the right places.

Once he finished drying his hair and prepping himself, he put on his silky white robe and padded barefoot down the stairs to the basement door, which thankfully wasn’t locked. Descending one more flight he stopped at the bottom, mouth falling open again in shock.

Many images had come to mind when Rain heard basement apartment , but this was not what he’d expected. In gray, silver, and black tones, the stunning place stretched half the length of the house. Modern furniture and bookshelves filled the living room while stainless steel appliances lined the walls of the kitchen, giving the open floor plan some zones, and it could use more natural light but Rain didn’t mind. Fewer windows meant less opportunity for someone to break in.

Next to the stairwell were three doors, one of them marked Darkroom , and Rain pursed his lips as he studied the other two. Which one led to Mason? The first was locked and Rain held his breath as he tried the second, suppressing a squeal of joy when the knob turned in his hand.

A slat of light striped through the center of the room as he opened the door, his heart in his throat as he realized that he’d found the bedroom. It reflected the rest of the decor with dark walls and shelving full of cameras, books, and other equipment. A large king-sized bed took up most of one side and Mason was sitting up in it, shirtless, tablet in his hand as he glared at Rain, his sea-green eyes almost luminescent in the half-dark.

“What are you doing here.” His words weren’t as harsh as his gaze.

Rain stepped in, closing the door behind him. Two long, thin windows near the ceiling let in an adequate amount of moonlight and in a few seconds, his eyes adjusted.

“Room service,” he stated in a low voice, sinuously climbing onto the bed and crawling up to Mason, who remained as still as a statue even as Rain took the tablet out of his hands and placed it aside.

Now that his lap was empty, Rain swung a leg over, straddling Mason and falling into that intense gaze. It held so much - confusion, caution, curiosity, heat, and that extra spark Rain couldn’t identify. Unlike everyone else Rain had seduced, Mason didn’t latch on, he only continued to stare, and Rain could see the wheels of his mind spinning. Maybe Rain could help things along with a jolt.

Putting his hands on Mason’s broad chest, Rain spread his fingers, enjoying the smattering of hair and the strong solid body between his legs. He leaned in, running his nose along Mason’s throat and inhaling that metallic scent, which definitely came from his photography work, but it was laced with sage as if Mason’s unique smell was trying to come through, and Rain couldn’t get enough of it. His cock, which had been at half-mast since his shower, fully hardened, straining against the front of the robe, and with only a thin sheet and Mason’s sleep pants between them, he knew that Mason could feel his interest.

A hand settled on his thigh and he smiled into Mason’s neck, pulling back and then freezing with a gasp.

Mason’s eyes were dark, his pupils large and ringed with teal, and his stare had gravity, pushing down on Rain’s body and caressing his cock. There was a rumble and the room flipped, and suddenly Rain was looking up into Mason’s feral gaze.

“Go on.” Dragging his fingers down the center of his chest, he slowly untied his robe, enjoying that searing stare. Arching his back, he let the shimmery fabric slide open, revealing his sleek body, lightly toned from his physical jobs and just as alluring as his face. Enjoying how Mason’s eyes flashed, Rain reached up, wrapping his arms around those broad shoulders, and another rumble sounded, as if reality was shifting around them.

Before Rain could process it, Mason kissed him like a starving man, and it took a few seconds for him to catch up. Mason’s tongue had a gentle touch but he nipped and tugged with his teeth, applying just the right amount of pressure, and Rain gasped, delighted, his dick pulsing and leaking onto his stomach.

All this time Rain had been sure that Mason was a virgin but no virgin kissed like this. As if to punctuate that thought, Mason’s hands began to wander, the large palms sliding over Rain’s skin, fingers teasing and pinching, spinning Rain up as their kisses became deeper.

Somewhere along the line, Rain had started writhing; they were only making out, why was he so wanton? But he had no time to wonder because Mason moved his lips down, leaving licks and tender bites on Rain’s jaw and neck, simultaneously playing with Rain’s nipples until they stood at attention just like his drooling cock.

“Y-You…” Rain stuttered, threading his fingers through Mason’s hair. Longer at the top, it held a slight curl and felt softer than it looked, contrasting with the scrape of Mason’s teeth as he continued south to Rain’s nipple, sucking and nibbling. “ Aahh! ”

Rain’s fingers tightened, and when he looked down his eyes met Mason’s. That stare took everything in, as if Rain was being studied, and it made the whole experience even hotter.

Using his hold, he pulled up gently and Mason obliged, frowning at the interruption.

“You should fuck me,” Rain husked, arching again and noting how Mason’s gaze raked over his body, the corner of his lips curving up.

Pulling the gauzy robe out from under him, Rain reached into a pocket, pulling out a condom and a packet of lube, and placing them in Mason’s hand.

“You’ll need these but I saved you some trouble and stretched myself already.” Turning, he jutted his bare ass in the air and spread his legs, knowing just how to pulse his glistening hole.

The bed shook with the next rumble, which melted into a growl as Mason tore his pajama bottoms off, and Rain watched over his shoulder, smiling like he’d hit the jackpot. He always knew Mason had an impressive cock; thick and angry to match his countenance, it was deeply flushed with a vein running up the front that Rain wanted to taste, so he did.

Turning, Rain wrapped his fingers around the shaft, buzzing with lust as he traced the bulging path with his tongue, Mason’s scent filling Rain’s nostrils and causing him to lose control. Sucking the leaky tip into his mouth, he quickly sank with a moan. The girth stretched his lips wonderfully and he snaked a hand down to his own cock, holding it at the base, trying not to come already, for Mason tasted as good as he smelled.

The head nudged the back of Rain’s throat and he pushed a bit, choking around it before pulling back. Why was he shaking? Why was this so intense? Sure, he’d had some great sex but his encounters didn’t usually feel like this, as if something big was bearing down on him.

A large hand rested on his head, not forcing, only fondling his hair. Trying again, Rain relaxed his throat and managed to take almost all of that length, loving how Mason gasped and froze.

“N-No,” he barked, pulling back.

Releasing his prize, Rain licked his lips, looking over that heaving chest and glittering gaze, loving that he’d rattled Mason, who sprang into motion, putting on the condom and coating his cock in a way that had Rain’s rim fluttering.

Fanning his hair around him, Rain rested back, pillow under his head, legs up, ready to be filled. That low rumbling growl grew as Mason leaned over him, one hand beside Rain’s head, the other guiding himself inside.

“I want it,” Rain whispered, wrapping his arms and legs around Mason, enjoying the coiled strength that hummed just beneath the surface as that delicious cock pushed in, stretching him until he tossed his head back with a pleased sigh.

Once he sank all the way in, his hips flush against Rain, Mason grunted and stilled. Smirking, Rain squeezed, causing Mason to jerk and brace himself with both hands, and even though he glared at Rain it didn’t have the same edge.

“Do you need a moment?” Rain teased, clenching again, but Mason didn’t react. He only continued to study Rain, his eyes still holding a myriad of things, and Rain found himself wanting to know it all, everything about him.

“No,” Mason replied simply, pulling out and snapping his pelvis forward without another word, starting a pattern of punishing thrusts that had Rain’s thoughts scattering like paper birds in the wind.

For an odd introvert, Mason was surprisingly good in bed because all Rain could do was hang on for dear life. His eyes stayed firmly rolled up and he was probably drooling on himself but he didn’t care; he’d become pure bliss, the pulse of his dick telling him he was constantly leaking. Rain didn’t know if it was Mason’s length, girth, or the way his cock curved, but it hit him soundly in the best place each time it sank deep, and if the pace didn’t slow down, then Rain would be coming hands-free.

“I-I’m-” How was this man fucking him speechless?

Another perfect thrust had Rain’s stomach coiling with heat and his limbs singing in harmony. Sinking his nails into Mason’s shoulders, he tightened his channel as much as he could, listening to Mason gasp and growl, and rode the wave, cresting up and over. Arching back, he came so hard that he shot all the way to his collarbone, and the staggering pace told him that Mason wasn’t far behind.

Pumping his hips a few more times, Mason froze and came with a gasp that had Rain softly smiling. Most men carried on, caterwauling and making a big pornish stink at the end, but Mason’s silent orgasm felt private, like it was a secret between them.

They stayed locked together for a moment, breathing heavily, and then Mason pulled out. Sitting back, he removed the condom.

“That…” Rain searched his mushy brain, exhaustion creeping in. The weekends always affected his sleep and he felt relatively safe here, so his nervous system decided that it was time to rest. “That was amazing…”

His eyes closed against his will. It wasn’t his fault; Mason’s huge bed was to blame, or maybe it was the five-star orgasm. Either way, Rain didn’t stand a chance and the room faded as he drifted off.