Page 3 of Run for Us (Masked Men #6)

Chapter Three

Shore

Having a large family has its good days and bad.

Growing up, there was never a shortage of people around, so there was no time to be lonely.

Mom and Dad have fostered kids for as long as I can remember, plus add in five kids of their own.

I have three brothers and a sister. We all have ocean-themed names, which we all hated when we were younger, but my parents were born in Bluebell, and so were their parents.

They love the town, the ocean, and having a large family.

My older brother, Harbor, is one of the six local cops, and Cove is always out at sea working on his boat. Next there is me, then Tyde, and finally our sister, Sailor. Most of the foster kids come and go—except Ripley.

He came to live with us when he was fourteen and was in a bad way.

I have never seen a boy so scared in my life, and I still don’t know why they thought putting him with a large family was a great idea.

At first, he barely spoke or even came out of his room.

Being such a large personality, I made it my mission to be his friend.

Day one, it got me a punch in the nose, but I slowly wore him down.

After a few months, he asked my parents if they could give him a new name.

He wanted nothing to do with his old life, and that is how he became Ripley—or Rip, as we now call him.

All of us still live at home, but not for much longer.

Rip, Kasen, and I have been saving, and we purchased the old lighthouse and the surrounding land from my grandpa.

He and Mimi wanted to retire, and Bluebell has a great assisted-living community.

I’m jealous; they have planned activities, little cottage-style houses, and meals delivered every day. Where do I sign up?

Today the festival activities start, and I organized for Dad to get me some fresh crabs from Cove, and all Tyde had to do was take them to Mom.

Instead, the asshole locked me in my van with them.

I started Shore Bites the day after I graduated from high school.

Folks around here rarely go to college, and those who do never return.

They are the kind who have dreams of leaving small-town life behind.

But not my family—we live and breathe this town.

All except Sailor. At fifteen she wants nothing to do with small-town life or small-town men, which I am kind of grateful for because I know all the little dickheads, and not one is good enough for my baby sister.

I also think our foster sister, Lulu, might have something to do with it.

She’s sixteen and wants to be an actress.

She is dramatic enough to pull it off too.

Kasen Prescott, the swoon-worthy asshole, attracts all the women in town to his self-defense classes.

I don’t know if the man is straight, gay, or even bi like Ripley and me.

He insists it doesn’t matter, and I suppose he is right.

He goes out of town to get laid at least once a week, but refuses to let me tag along, telling me to stay home and suck my brother’s dick.

Kasen might think it’s hilarious, but Rip is not my brother.

It was clear from day one I felt differently toward him—my parents could even see it.

The thing about Ripley is he’s complicated.

He’s a free spirit who can instantly tell you a lot about someone you only just met.

It’s a fucking superpower, if you ask me.

“Thanks for coming to save me,” I say dryly.

Kasen looks me up and down and smirks. “Where are your clothes?” he asks as I stand here in my newfound underwear.

Never in my life had I worn any; I never saw the need. Board shorts covered the good bits, and Mom said as long as my dick was covered, it was okay.

It wasn’t until the other day when my Mimi came to visit, and she brought some things for us kids. I got boxer briefs, and what a game changer. I tried them on to be nice, but who would have thought they would look this good? My dick looks even better in them, and the ball support? Best gift ever.

“In the van. Tyde locked me in with the crabs. I covered them with my clothes and made an escape when Wren took pity on me. She was following Tyde, hoping he would fall in love with her or something. Did you meet the newbie?”

Kasen nods. I don’t even know how we became friends because he really isn’t all that friendly. It was probably my awesome personality that sucked him in. Everyone loves me.

“And?” I ask when he doesn’t respond. “Is she hot?”

He shrugs. “She isn’t ugly. I didn’t really stare at her since you were calling me in a panic and making no sense.”

“And yet it took you this long to find me. I don’t even know how we are friends.”

Kasen smiles. “Because you inserted yourself into my life. And it took so long because I got a very interesting call from a friend.”

I raise a brow—since when does he have friends outside of Ripley and me? He shakes his head.

“Kennedy called. I was just coming to find you and then Ripley. This conversation is one we need to have together.”

I met Kennedy once, and he seems nice enough. Kasen used to work for him, and he has been hush-hush on what that involved.

“Let’s go see Rip,” I suggest, and Kasen looks me over again.

“What?! Harbor and Mom said as long as my dick is covered, I can wear whatever I want. My dick’s covered,” I say, motioning to my black boxer briefs.

Kasen shakes his head. “Remind me why we are friends again?”

I snort as we walk. “Because I’m amazing, and your life would be boring without me.”

“Boring, normal—same, same, right?”

I bump him with my shoulder, and he laughs. As we get close to Ripley’s shop, I see Tyde take off down The Promenade, and I grin. He thinks I’m after him—and I kinda am—but he won’t see my payback coming. I like the long game and will get him when he least expects it.

The sound of Rip playing guitar fills my ears. I listen closely to the melody, as the music he plays can reflect his mood, and I hate when he gets depressed. This song doesn’t sound promising, which means he has talked to people today and it has sent him into a spiral.

I push through the door and Rip looks up as we walk inside, but continues to strum his guitar.

“Sup, fucker. Thanks for the save today.”

Rip smirks and finally stops, placing his guitar by his side. “You’re welcome. I had a client this morning. A newbie.”

“Please tell me she wanted something where you could see her boobs. It’s been so long since I have seen titties,” I lament. “I’m jealous.”

Rip shakes his head. “You know that’s not how I roll. They get what I feel they need.”

Don’t I know it? That’s how I’ve gotten all my tattoos.

My leg sleeve is the best—a memory of our first adventure, when I was an idiot and took my brother’s old rowboat out after being told not to.

Rip had only been with us for a week at that point.

We ended up on Crescent Key, a low, half-moon-shaped islet sitting just off the bay with a single weathered dock and easily reached by rowboat.

He first kissed me there, and the memory is forever inked onto my skin.

It’s also our home now—or will be as soon as we can afford the last of the build. It’s where the old lighthouse is located. We have spent every cent we make fixing it up so we can live there, but this time we won’t use a rotting old rowboat to reach it.

“I have found a way for us to get the money we need for the dock,” Kasen reveals.

Just the mention of our dream has me on edge. The hoops we’ve had to jump through to get approval to live there are insane. The code officer, Jason Banks, has made our life hell. It may or may not be my fault because of our feud since high school.

“How?” I ask, knowing at least one of us will not like what Kasen has to say.

“My friend Kennedy has a job offer for us.”

Ripley glances over at Kasen. “The guy you used to work with at the sex club?”

Kasen nods.

“Hold on, you used to be a sex worker? Mr. Straight and Narrow? Mr. I Have to Follow All the Rules? You used to fuck for money? Oh, this is good—so, so good.”

Kasen sighs. “Now you understand why I didn’t say anything. This idiot couldn’t handle it.”

“I’m just in shock. You can’t spring something like that on me and not expect me to have a reaction. Sex worker—wow. You are definitely hot enough.”

“I was technically an escort, but Kennedy now owns a business called Wild Steps, and he just called. It seems our latest visitor is turning thirty, and a friend wants to get her a gift.”

“A gift?” Rip asks, and Kasen nods.

“In the form of masked men. Before anyone says no, hear me out. The pay is good, and we need the money. And imagine Jason’s face when we stick it to him. He knows every cent we have is already tied up in the build. We barely have any money left to eat, let alone build a new dock.”

“So, what? We chase her a little in masks, fuck her, and get paid? I’m not seeing a downside here. You said she isn’t ugly. What’s the catch?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Kasen sighs. “It has to be three masked men.”

Both Kasen and I look at Ripley. He doesn’t like to talk to strangers unless they want ink—it’s the only exception.

Even then, all negotiations are done via email, and they sign a form stating they understand he might not talk to them.

He hates people outside of his art. Even then, once he does a piece, he will sometimes spiral for days.

Touching him without his consent doesn’t end well for anyone, something I know from personal experience.

“Do you think you could do this?” Kasen asks.

“What if he just wears a mask and chases her? I can stick my dick in her twice. We could just blindfold her, and she would never know.”

“I can do it,” Rip says. “I spoke with her today.”

Both Kasen and I blink at him.

“Like with your words?”

Kasen whacks the back of my head. “How else would he talk to her, you idiot? If we agree, we need to sign some paperwork. We have to abide by the contract and her limits. There is still a chance she may not sign, but this way we could finish the dock in weeks, not months.”

The thought of finally having our own space is exciting.

I love my family, but our house is always full, and Mom could use the bedroom for her new foster kids.

I know she loves having us at home, and I will miss her cooking and doing my laundry—but it’s time to take the next step in life. And for that reason alone, I’m in.