Page 59 of Off Plan
“You have reallygotto learn to say some words, Loafers,” I said roughly, but my fingers had tightened on his, too, holding him in place.
“While Imasturbated,” he whispered.
My mouth went dry, and my brain went blank.
“So… I’d really like you to kiss me,” Mason blurted. “That’s my dare.”
“Like you kissed me?” I croaked. I leaned over and pecked his cheek, making sure I didn’t linger over it or inhale his scent… much.
“No,kissme,” Mason said again, his voice lower this time and more urgent. He scooted several inches in my direction. “A real kiss this time. A… lip kiss.”
“A lip kiss.” I couldn’t decide if his grade school innocence was the best or worst thing ever. Hell, I was pretty sure I’d stopped comprehending English somewhere in the last ten seconds, once all the blood had started rushing to my cock.
“Atonguekiss.” Mason pushed our joined hands against my knee, leaning toward me. “Afrenchkiss.”
“You sound like you’re twelve,” I told him, and it was supposed to be an insult, but it came out all fond and amused.Fuck.
I closed my eyes, trying to remember all the reasons I’d totally disliked this guy a week ago. His stupid perfect hair. His stupid shiny shoes. His unnatural confidence. The way he’d sneered at me. The way he’d looked all shocked and aroused in the bathroom.
But it was hard to reconcile that guy from the airport withthisman onthisbeach, smelling unbearably familiar and delicious, playing with my fingers like we’d been holding hands forever. And if everything he was saying now was true, Mason’s shock last Friday night had been reallyreal.
Which meant maybe I’d been the one who’d reacted shittily.
“Your fingers are way bigger than mine,” he said curiously. He held them up and inspected them in the thin moonlight. “Hairier. And your skin’s all calloused.”
I fought the urge to snatch my hand away and hide it behind my back, but Mason didn’t seem bothered by it. He seemed fascinated. And with every stroke of his hand against mine, my cock jumped.
“I like it.” Mason sounded like he was confessing something, andshit, I really hated feeling like the sin on someone’s conscience.
“Mason. We don’t need to do—”
“I kissed a guy once. On a dare. It wasawful,” Mason whispered in a rush. “I never wanted to repeat it. Why bother? But then this week I started thinking, what if the kiss was bad because I wasn’t intoRory? Or what if I wasn’t attracted to guys at all back then and I evolved? Or what if I’m only attracted tocertainpeople regardless of sex?”
He meantme. He meant, he was attracted tome.I clenched my hands into fists to keep myself from grabbing him and pushing him down to the blanket.
“It’s not a big deal to me if I’m bisexual, or whatever I am,” he repeated. “But the idea that there’s this huge thing about myself that I got wrong, that I didn’tknow? That’s just…” He huffed out a laugh and ran his hands through his hair, mussing the waves beyond all recognition. I wanted to replace his hands with mine. “What else have I gotten wrong? How much have I just not seen?”
“Mason.” I grabbed his jaw—just to steady him, I told myself. To comfort him. Definitely not so I could enjoy the feel of his light stubble under my thumbs as I stroked his cheek. “Chill out, okay?”
He nodded mechanically, his eyes studying the neckline of my shirt like it was a code he had to break. “I’m chill. Very chill. But—” He licked his lips. “I know I’m probably not your usual kind of guy. You probably like men who at least know how to kiss another man, right?” He laughed shortly. “Like, how to maneuver to avoid beard burn and who goes left and who goes right? But…” He looked up, his face flaming like a beacon in the fading light. “You’re someone I feel passionate about. So, please kiss me, just this once?”
My chest squeezed. My hands flexed against his jaw, and my fingers threaded into the short, brown waves by his ears.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Just this once.” Then I crossed the six inches that separated us and took his mouth with mine.
There was nothing else for it, really, was there? It had been bound to happen since the moment I’d laid eyes on him at the airport, all perfectly pressed and horribly out of his element, and there was a kind of relief in just letting it fuckinghappen.
Mason Bloom was an asteroid, and I was the earth, and Bruce Willis wasn’t conveniently around to save the day and avert the collision, so I might as well surrender to the impact.
And mother ofGod, the impact.
Mason tasted like salty tears and sweet surprise. He smelled like his fucking intoxicating cologne. His hair was silky soft, but not a single other thing about him was—not the lightly muscled body under my roving hands nor the press of his lips against mine. He went to my head like strong liquor, making me light-headed and brave all at once.
The entire world shifted on its axis as Mason pushed me down, and I didn’t even notice until my back hit the sand behind me and Mason’s shoes landed somewhere by my head with a soft plop. He climbed on top of me, barely breaking the kiss, all lean limbs and enthusiasm, saying my name in this little animal growl that was the least Loafery thing I’d ever heard.
This wasnotmy first kiss with a guy by a long shot, but I’d had full-on orgasms that didn’t get me as worked up as kissing Mason Bloom did. I wrapped my arms around him and slid my hands down to cup his ass.
Mason moaned, a filthy sound that made my cock jump to life like my mom’s old border collie hearing the rattle of keys.Wanna go for a ride, Charlie?Fuck yes, I did.