“You look asleep on your feet, Jesse. I have a guest room. It’s yours until you get your bearings. You said your friend might still come through for—”

  “No,” Jesse said more firmly than he’d intended. “I need to come through for myself. I can’t wait on him anymore. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably already be—”

  “Hey. Shhh. Don’t even think that. No what-ifs, Jesse,” Mason said, gazing up at him as if Jesse were something mesmerizing. Then he blinked rapidly and sputtered about getting Jesse’s backpack and duffle bag out of the truck when the rain let up. “But I have some spare toiletries in the guest bath. I think you’ll find everything you need.”

  “I don’t want to take up an entire room, like a guest or anything. I can just crash on the floor right here if you don’t mind.”

  “I do mind.” Mason nodded. “I mind a lot.”

  “Ellis, I—”

  Mason cupped both Jesse’s cheeks, and instinctually his eyes fell closed, and he relished the comfort. “You are my guest, now.” Mason’s gaze bore into his as if he truly wanted Jesse to understand his words. “And it’s important to me that you’re comfortable, not crashing on my couch. It’s important that you’re safe.”

  “Why me?” Jesse needed to know. If this was charity, then he’d treat it as such and vow to pay Mason back as soon as he could, but if it was more, if Mason was feeling even a fraction of the desire that Jesse felt for him, then he was all in for this exceptional man.

  “Honestly—” Mason rubbed at the scruff on his chin. “—I really can’t say. All I know is from the moment I saw you wandering alone on the streets, nervous and terrified, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Every time I saw you while I was working, I struggled not to go to you and beg you to just come home with me.”

  Jesse couldn’t speak because of the wedge of emotion clogging his throat, and Mason being the phenomenal person that he was knew that he needed a moment alone. An hour ago, Jesse thought he was going to be shot in the back and his body dumped in a creek. Now, he was staring into the eyes of the man who he believed was his angel, his savior… and maybe one day soon, his lover.

  “We should maybe try to get some rest. It’ll be daylight soon.” Mason took a deep breath before slowly releasing him. “The guest room is the door on the left. There’s a bathroom in there with some products under the sink.”

  “Okay. Good night,” Jesse whispered before he retreated down the dim hall. There was another bathroom opposite his room and an open door at the end of the hall with a large, unmade bed dominating most of the space that he assumed was Mason’s room.

  Noted.

  Mason

  It was still dark outside and even darker in Mason’s bedroom, but his internal clock told him the day was about to break soon. The thunder from the storm continued to shake the foundation of his house, but that wasn’t why he struggled to sleep. It was because he was extremely conscious of the man he’d brought into his home who was just now stepping out of an almost hour-long shower.

  Mason imagined Jesse wrapping a towel around his lean hips while drying the ends of his dirty-blond hair with another one. He was sure Jesse’s slick, warm skin smelled good, like the Men’s Dove accessories he had in the shower alcove. Mason groaned and turned over flat on his back, throwing his forearm over his eyes. He had to stop torturing himself.

  He wasn’t sure how much time passed when he heard the door down from his open and light footsteps moving toward him. Mason had deliberately left his bedroom door open in invitation, in hopes Jesse would accept it. Jesse’s sexy body appeared in his doorway, draped in the heavy terry cloth robe Mason kept behind the guest bathroom door. Lightning flashed across the walls, and he caught a glimpse of the uncertainty on Jesse’s beautiful face.

  “Hey.” Mason sat up on one elbow, his sheet falling to his lap and revealing his bare chest. Jesse’s eyes were hot and heavy on him, but it seemed as if he needed something more than what his body was saying.

  “I wasn’t sure if you were up.” Jesse’s voice was shaky. “I’ve been wanting to sleep for weeks, and now… now that I’m… safe, I can’t seem to keep my eyes closed.”

  “You can come in if you want,” Mason said, wishing his tone wasn’t so thick. “I’m struggling to rest too.”

  “Because of the storm?”

  “No,” Mason answered honestly. “Because of you.”

  “I’m sorry… I—”

  “I was worried you weren’t comfortable.”

  “No. No, everything you’ve done is great. The shower made me feel human again, and the bed is really soft…” Jesse ran his hand through his hair. “It’s just—I’ve never been shot at before.”

  Jesse inched closer inside, and Mason moved to the center of his king-sized bed and pulled the covers back. He could only imagine how haywire Jesse’s nerves were right now. Mason had been a cop for eight years, and it still took him weeks to get over certain close calls. “I understand. Come here.”

  Jesse slid beneath the covers and turned his back to Mason. For a moment, he thought he’d stay on the edge of the bed, but Jesse continued to ease backward until his body was flush against Mason’s chest. They both moaned—perhaps involuntarily—and Mason chuckled quietly against Jesse’s smooth cheek.

  “Oh my god. Mmmm,” Jesse confessed, and much to Mason’s delight, Jesse snuggled in tighter. “I didn’t expect you to feel so warm.”

  Mason wrapped Jesse safely in his arms. He hugged him until he wasn’t shaking anymore, until he wasn’t afraid. There was no idle chatter or rambling, and Jesse did an amazing job of ignoring Mason’s obvious interest in more than just cuddling. But he knew if he was patient and gave Jesse what he needed, then he’d give Mason everything he’d ever wanted in return. A man waiting for him when he came home. And just as the Sunday’s dawn crept through the opening in his blinds, Jesse’s breathing finally evened out, and he drifted into a deep sleep with a serene smile tilting his pink lips. It was a vision Mason could stare at forever.

  Jesse

  “Mmmm.” Jesse writhed against the hardness nestled between his thighs. He teetered along the edges of mostly asleep but partly awake. He hiked his leg up higher until it was wrapped around something strong and solid. He sighed contentedly as firm, skilled hands massaged his lower back, and after sleeping on a bench for weeks, it was really hitting the spot. Memories of the past twenty-four hours flooded back into his mind as fast and sharp as the lightning from last night’s storm. Running, shouting, screaming… then gunshots. Jesse’s eyes snapped open, and he startled against his restraints.

  “You’re okay, baby,” a deep voice that sounded like heaven whispered against his damp forehead. “Look at me. You’re safe.”

  Jesse’s breathing was ragged as he clutched onto Mason’s wide shoulders. “Ellis,” Jesse moaned, gazing into concerned brown eyes before exhaling roughly. He was real. Mason was really there. Thank you again, Mom. “I’m sorry for waking you. It was just a bad dream.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. And I’ve been up for a while.”

  “Oh,” Jesse exclaimed. “Do you have to get ready for work?”

  “No. Today’s Sunday. I’m off.”

  Jesse tucked his face into Mason’s neck and inhaled his masculine scent. His chest had dense, straight, chestnut hair spanned across his solid pecs that made Jesse want to burrow into it and hide for the rest of the day. Mason’s hands caressed him everywhere he could reach, and Jesse thought he wouldn’t mind waking up like this for many mornings to come. He adjusted to get closer when he felt that hardness between his legs, causing him to roll his hips against it. Mason’s thigh was firm, and even through his plush robe, Jesse could feel the muscles.

  “I wasn’t expecting you to…” Mason’s sentence was cut off when Jesse placed a tender kiss on his neck before he peppered more along his collarbone. “I wasn’t um… expecting anything from you, y’know. It’s not why I—”

  Jesse smiled at Mason’s shy stuttering. “I know. And I’m not giving you anything that I don’t want to.”

  “Okay then,” was all he allowed Mason to get out before Jesse took his dark mouth in a searing kiss.

  To Jesse’s satisfaction, Mason growled possessively against his lips and took control of the kiss. Mason tangled his hands in Jesse’s hair, and he wrapped his long legs around Mason’s body and clung to him like a koala on a tree.

  “Damn, you feel good,” Mason said when Jesse came up for air. He arched into Mason’s touch unashamedly, needing the contact, the warmth and reassurance that he was real and he was there.

  Mason chased his mouth, and Jesse was quick to surrender. Mason kissed him in a way that told Jesse this was only the beginning. Their coming together was slow and rushed at the same time. Gentle, yet Mason’s touch was so strong, Jesse thought he’d never feel unsafe again. Mason kissed him as if things Jesse had wished for were finally coming true. He was maneuvered onto his back, and Mason gently climbed on top of him and settled perfectly between his spread thighs. Jesse’s cock was hard as lead, leaking in the shorts he’d borrowed.

  “Mason, I need…”

  “Shhh,” Mason crooned as if he already knew. He ground down on top of him, their dicks nudging eagerly against each other until a litany of desperate pleas bubbled up inside of him.

  “I need so much.”

  “I know.” Mason pulled on the tie to Jesse’s robe, splaying both sides open. The way the handsome cop gazed at him, Jesse felt sure for the first time in weeks that he’d truly be okay. “Your body is so beautiful. You’re so soft.”

  Jesse dug his heels into Mason’s back, trying to gain more leverage as he thrust into him for more contact. “Oh my god.” He moaned, feeling the tight sensation start in his groin before flaring to every part of him. He didn’t want it to be over so quickly, but there was no stopping an avalanche once it started rolling.

  “Fuck, baby,” Mason grunted, and Jesse had never heard a sexier, more powerful phrase spoken in all of his life.

  Jesse inched his hands beneath the elastic of Mason’s lounge pants and squeezed his ass cheeks. He was cautious at first until Mason spread his legs wider, opening them both as if he wanted a firmer touch. Jesse kneaded his fingers into Mason’s furry cheeks and lost himself in the rhythm of his hips. Mason moved on top of him in a way that no man had before. It was controlled and selfless. Mason was solely focused on him, his smoky eyes boring into his, when he lowered his pants enough to take them both into his hand.

  Mason’s tight grip on his cock, jerking them together, had Jesse falling faster into the abyss. The pleasure was blinding and unexpected, as fire ignited under his skin and burned him everywhere. Mason braced himself with his forearm against the mattress, and Jesse tilted his head to kiss the straining bicep next to his cheek.

  “Come with me,” Mason ordered against his throat.

  “Yes,” Jesse whispered dazedly. He clamored to get them closer together, which wasn’t really possible. “More, Ellis,” Jesse begged. He brought his leg up and hooked it on Mason’s shoulder, ready to let it all go, needing this release and intense connection with Mason more than he needed air.

  And as if it was the final catalyst, Mason rubbed his scruffy jaw against Jesse’s smooth calf before he licked a long path to his ankle. He watched as Mason’s eyes rolled a second before he tightened his rough palm around the head of their dicks and shot against Jesse’s stomach. He hollered out as his orgasm rushed to meet Mason’s as if it refused to be outmatched. Jesse held on to Mason’s thick body and rode their wave of ecstasy until there was nothing left, until he’d absorbed it all.

  Jesse melted as Mason placed soft kisses on his calf before he brought it down to his side. Without words, their mouths met again, and by the time Mason was finished licking and sucking his tongue, Jesse was hard again.

  Mason grinned softly against the rim of his ear. “You want more?”

  “Absolutely.” Jesse smiled, then yawned around his fist. “Come back to sleep with me.”

  “Okay.” Mason nodded. Jesse watched him go into his bathroom and come out with a warm rag to clean him up… and that’s the last thing he remembered.

  Mason

  Mason stood in his bedroom door drinking a strong cup of coffee and watching Jesse sleep. His long, smooth body looked heavenly against Mason’s dark blue sheets, and he found himself wondering if he was trying to make a fantasy real life. Jesse was so innocently beautiful. A recent graduate ready to explore and experience the real world. Mason had already done that; now he was in search of calmer days. Getting wrapped up in a younger man probably was a sure way to get his heart and ego crushed. Deciding he had too much to think about, he resigned to let Jesse rest in peace—since it’d been weeks since he could—and got dressed to handle some business around his home.

  The hours stretched on, and Mason was overly aware of the man in his bed, but he avoided climbing back inside of it with him. That wasn’t the reason he’d brought Jesse there. So, to keep himself distracted, Mason finished Jesse’s laundry from last night and put them in the guest room on the bed along with his leather duffle bag and backpack.

  Outside, Mason cleaned up the trash and debris that’d blown into his yard and made sure his widowed neighbor across the street, Mrs. Finley, was doing okay after that storm. Once his yard work was complete, Mason went back inside to shower, only to find Jesse still fast asleep with Mason’s pillow pulled against his face. What am I going to do with you? Now that he’d had a taste of Jesse’s body, he wouldn’t be able to deny wanting much more. But Mason was a rational thinker, and he knew that what he was experiencing was part lust fueled with deeper feelings that went beyond just physical needs and attraction.

  It was almost five in the evening before Mason heard his house guest up and stirring around in the back of his house. He didn’t run to him like an overzealous puppy, which was difficult, and instead gave Jesse some space to get himself together. The house smelled like his father’s famous one-pot chicken lo mein, which was one of the few suppers Mason could remember to make that was good. He was showing off and probably doing too much to make a good impression, but Mason wasn’t sure what guys Jesse’s age thought of dating older men. Would a thirty-three-year-old man be too boring to keep up with a twenty-four-year-old one? Would he want Mason to hang out late at night and meet up with friends for barhopping? Would Jesse want to call him daddy? Did he see Mason as old enough to even be one? Fuckin’ hell. Mason cringed since every one of those things sounded horrific.

  He was lost in another negative thought when he heard light footsteps coming down the hall toward him. “Hey, sleepyhead. I thought you—” Mason started before Jesse turned the corner and made him forget the last half of his sentence.

  “Hey.” Jesse smiled brightly at him. “I guess I was still pretty tired.”

  “I can imagine.” Mason swallowed thickly.

  Jesse advanced toward him as if he was unsure, and Mason hoped to erase any doubt he had when he set his stirring spoon to the side and opened his arms. Their embrace was short but tender and affectionate. Goddamn, he smells good. Jesse had on black skinny jeans that molded to his long, toned legs. Legs that’d been wrapped around Mason’s back. His burgundy V-neck sweater was thick and expensive-looking, and not at all what he’d imagine Jesse would wear, but it did complement his ivory complexion. And Mason was not minding this mature look one bit.

  Jesse’s arms slid from around Mason’s neck until his warm palms rested on his chest. Mason refused to let Jesse go, until he’d looked his fill. He stroked his hand over Jesse’s hair that he’d styled away from his face with some kind of good-smelling gel. The deep wheat-colored waves were so soft to touch, and Mason sifted his fingers through the long strands and watched them fall right back into place.

  “Jesus,” Mason whispered. His eyes traveled hungrily from Jesse’s sexy bare feet to the masculine silver cross resting against the tip of his sternum. He had to shake his head to understand what he was seeing. How could the man he pulled from under the interstate overpass last night be the same strong, tall man before him now? Confident and beautiful.

  “I’m sorry, I’m staring.” Mason probably looked like a deer caught in headlights, but he was trying to understand how Jesse had unveiled another level of gorgeousness. And the way Jesse blushed and cast his pretty eyes down to Mason’s chest told him that Jesse didn’t even know how fine he was.

  “I don’t mind.” Jesse’s smile fell slowly. “You stared at me like that even when I was caked under days of dirt and filth.”

  “It takes a lot more than just looks for me,” Mason said honestly.

  “Me too,” Jesse added.

  “Dinner is almost ready.” Mason nodded his head toward the pot of noodles. “You like lo mein?”

  “I do.” Jesse smiled. And Mason was starting to believe he’d do anything to keep that smile there for a long time.

  Jesse

  They ate together on the high-top stools at the breakfast bar. Mason’s noodles were amazing, and every time Jesse would compliment something, Mason was quick to assure him he only knew how to cook that and steaks. Nothing more. He was learning that Mason was extremely intelligent—not only because of the political science master’s degree from the University of Georgia on the wall in his bedroom—but he didn’t flaunt it. He was down-to-earth and easy to talk to. Mason also had a corny sense of humor that made Jesse roll his eyes and chuckle more than busting a gut. But the sexiest part of Ellis Mason was no doubt his heart. And Jesse didn’t have to be in love with the man to know that it was one of twenty-four-karat gold. Maybe if Jesse would man up and do the right thing by helping the police with their drug crisis—and it indeed was a big fucking crisis—he might be worthy of a man like that.

 

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