Fitting In, page 2
Gray looked down at the still-unconscious man. “Don’t ever nudge me like that.”
Mason smiled sheepishly. “No, I…wouldn’t…. I just…”
Gray saved him from needing to speak by laying one of his enormous hands on Mason’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I…um…better get back to serving drinks.”
Jack and Gray nodded.
Mason slipped behind the bar as Gray knelt to put cuffs around Chris’s wrists. Chris roused but didn’t fully wake. Gray tossed the semi-conscious man over his shoulder while Jack worked to disperse the crowd and clear a path to the door.
Mason had to force himself not to stare at Gray’s and Jack’s fine asses as they left. They were truly some of the hottest men he’d ever seen. If only…no, he was more certain than ever that they were a couple. They were also customers, and Mason didn’t need to get involved with anyone at Nathan’s. The sexy cops needed to remain in the realm of fantasy.
CHAPTER 3
The night after the bar fight, Jack and Gray came into Nathan’s and sat at a corner table. Mason tried to work up the nerve to talk to them while he was on break, but they looked so intimate sitting there together. Their connection wasn’t something most people would notice, but now that he was certain there was more between them than friendship, their gestures and the way they looked at each other were telling. He wondered if the other guys on the force knew they were gay. If so, surely they didn’t realize the men were lovers. They wouldn’t be allowed to be partners then, would they?
Jack caught Mason staring once and winked at him. Heat crept up Mason’s neck and into his face, and he looked away. But when he worked up the nerve to sneak another glance at them, he caught Jack watching him. His gaze drifted up and down, pointedly checking Mason out. Mason grinned and waved even though his hand was shaking. He was playing with fire, especially if Gray was the jealous type. Mason might be able to knock a stinking drunk Chris to the ground, but Gray could snap Mason in two like a twig.
He wondered about the nature of Jack and Gray’s relationship. Were they exclusive? They certainly looked like they were more than just a convenient fuck for each other. But what was up with them flirting with him? Even if he’d misread Gray’s comments the day they questioned him, he couldn’t deny that Jack was flirting with him that night. Did Jack want him? Did they both? The thought of a three-way with the two of them was almost more than he could stand. Trying to ignore those dangerous thoughts, he made himself busy straightening the little trays of fruits and olives to add to drinks.
Later that night when Mason was alone in bed, hand wrapped around his cock, bringing himself some relief from the stress of the day, he couldn’t get the officers out of his head. He let his favorite fantasy play out. Gray had him tied up. The big man toyed with Mason, tormented him, then watched as Jack fucked him. Then it was his turn, and he was driving into Mason, fucking him relentlessly, telling Mason he owned him. Mason shuddered and climaxed with the image of Gray leaning over him, face contorted with his own orgasm, emblazoned on his brain.
Getting involved with Jack and Gray was a bad idea. They could easily become an obsession, and Mason had learned better than to sleep with couples. He shuddered as he thought about Brett and Andrew and the disaster sleeping with them turned out to be.
Mason had just come out to his family and gotten the reaction he’d expected. His mother had berated him for his shocking lack of social tact in choosing to sleep with men, and his father had counseled him not to tell anyone else while he worked through this wild phase. His sister had sided with both of them, kissing up as usual. Mason was feeling more alone than he ever had, and when Brett, the TA in one of his chemistry classes with whom he’d bonded over their mutual Battlestar Galactica obsession, propositioned him after the final exam, he had no power to resist. He went home with Brett and let the man fuck him senseless. They saw each other several more times over the next few weeks, then Brett told him he had a boyfriend.
Mason was horrified, but Brett assured him he and Andrew had an open relationship and asked if he was up for a three-way. Mason was nervous as hell, but he agreed. The evening was amazing, and so was the next one, and the next. They spent most of a long weekend in bed. Then one morning, Mason woke up to the sound of Andrew railing at Brett, telling him he knew Brett liked fucking Mason better. Mason sneaked out the door while they argued.
Andrew had come to Mason’s apartment later that day and threatened him, telling him he’d make him pay if he didn’t stay away from Brett. The next day, Brett called saying he’d broken up with Andrew. Brett had started harassing Mason, begging him to go out with him.
In his anxiety over that disaster, Mason threw himself at a much older man he met at a sci-fi con, a man he realized later was more in need of a housekeeper than a boyfriend. He’d thought their relationship had real potential, that maybe he was in love with the man, but when Mason’s father announced he wouldn’t pay for school anymore if Mason didn’t plan to attend law school after graduation, his boyfriend proved to be unwilling to consider any needs other than his own. His job suddenly took up all his time, and he ended up telling Mason to pull himself together and get over it or they were done. Mason had never spoken to him again. So yeah, Mason had good reason to be shy of relationships and of couples who claimed to want to play around with someone else. But sometimes being alone really sucked.
One slow afternoon a few days later, Jack and Gray walked in and sat down at the bar. They were in uniform, and the sight of them sent a shiver through Mason. He took a deep breath before walking over with a pounding heart and sweaty palms to take their order.
“Thanks for your help the other night,” Gray said before Mason had a chance to speak. Gray’s eyes were as mesmerizing as usual, but today they looked warmer than they had before. Mason couldn’t look away from him. He licked his lips then his face heated as he realized how revealing the gesture was.
“No problem. I’m just sorry he got a punch in before we brought him down.”
Jack smiled. “I’m fine. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be last. Are you working late today?”
Jack’s question surprised Mason so much he almost dropped the glass he’d been fiddling with. “Um…yeah, I work till closing.”
Gray gave Mason an assessing glance that made Mason’s cock start to swell. What would it be like for Gray to look at him like that when they were both naked? He busied himself wiping down the bar and tried to ignore how much he wanted these two gorgeous men. But surely they were just enjoying a little harmless flirtation. He couldn’t read more into it.
“We’d love to get a drink some time,” Gray said.
Drinks. Yeah, he was a bartender, and they were here to order drinks, not to cozy up to him. “Sorry, what would you like?”
Jack caught his hand and pinned it to the bar. “No, the three of us, somewhere else, when you’re not working. We’d like to have a drink together.”
“Oh!” Mason was certain his cheeks were as red as the maraschino cherries he used to decorate drinks. “That kind of drink?”
Gray chuckled. “Yeah. That kind.” The words came out slow, seductive.
Mason’s dick hardened more. “I…um…aren’t you two…?”
Jack grinned at Mason’s stumbling attempt to make sure he understood what they wanted. “We are, but we both like you.”
Mason thought he might pass out from the lack of blood going to his brain. Danger, danger! his mind screamed, but his cock was not listening.
Gray captured his hand as Jack let go. He pressed his thumb into Mason’s wrist, stroking firmly. Mason thought he might honest-to-God swoon.
“Or…” Gray paused and Mason waited, heart thundering in his ears. “We could just skip the drink.”
Mason sucked in his breath. His ears rang and his vision went dark at the edges. There was no way he’d be able to resist these men, no matter how much he knew better.
“Gray, don’t push,” Jack said, obviously holding back a laugh.
“I think he likes being pushed,” Gray responded. He tightened his fingers around Mason’s wrist. “If I told you where to meet us, you’d be there, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.” The word came out in a breathy rush.
Gray smiled. “Would you like it if I just took control and didn’t give you a choice?”
Mason didn’t think his dick had ever been that hard. For years he’d fantasized about having a man dominate him, control him, punish him. But the one time he’d gone to a BDSM club, he couldn’t get past the leather and collars; it was too much for him. He wanted dominance without all the trappings. He’d left before he even talked to anyone. But Gray was exactly what he’d been looking for. “Um…I—”
Jack’s radio buzzed. A message came through filled with codes Mason didn’t understand. Jack glanced at Gray. “We’ve got to go.”
Gray nodded. Then he grabbed a napkin and handed it to Mason. “Write your number down.”
Mason grabbed a pen from the cup by the register and scrawled his number on the napkin. He handed it to Gray, who made a point of letting his fingers brush across the back of Mason’s hand. The contact sent shivers through Mason.
Mason tried to think of something else to say but once Gray pocketed his number, the two men took off, leaving Mason staring at the door. Had they really propositioned him? Would he really do whatever Gray told him to despite his no-couples rule?
He’d be crazy to turn down what promised to be mind-blowing sex, yet his cops belonged firmly in the world of fantasy. Sex with them might just kill him, and the potential for drama was too high. They were a couple and he was in danger of wanting far more from them than a one-night stand. This was a very bad idea.
He sighed. Maybe they wouldn’t call. Asking for his number might have been the result of temporary insanity. Was there a full moon? He’d just wait and see and fantasize and obsess and long to feel their hands on him. Oh fuck, he was in so much trouble.
CHAPTER 4
The next day, one of the regulars told Mason there’d been another robbery a few streets over from the bar. Mason didn’t hear from Jack and Gray, but he hadn’t expected to since they were working the robbery case. The only excitement in his day was getting into an argument with the idiotic waitress, Gwen, after he caught her sneaking a cigarette in the office when he went in to put the money from the till in the safe.
The following day was his day off. He heard his phone ring, but he was in line at the grocery store, so he ignored it. When he pulled it out of his pocket at home, he saw he’d missed a call from an unknown number. There was no voice mail.
The number was local. Could it be Gray or Jack? Did he dare call back to find out?
He pressed redial before he could talk himself out of it.
“You working tonight?” Gray’s voice. Obviously he didn’t go in for social niceties on the phone.
“No. It’s my day off.”
“Good. Meet us at Undertow at nine.”
“Okay, I—”
“Gotta go.”
Gray ended the call, and Mason stood there in his kitchen with the phone to his ear for several seconds. Had that just happened?
That night, Mason found a spot in the employee parking lot by Nathan’s. He wasn’t supposed to use the lot when he wasn’t working, but most likely no one would notice. Undertow was a gay-friendly dive bar located a few blocks away from Nathan’s. He’d only been there a few times, mostly on Thursdays when a local chef who was hoping to get his own restaurant one day took over the kitchen and served Ethiopian food.
As he walked, he wished he’d worn a heavier coat. The early March wind cut right through his jacket. At least he could pretend he was shivering from cold rather than nerves. He laughed as he always did when he saw the sign at the top of the stairs leading to Undertow’s entrance. “Undertow. We’ll suck you right down.”
He pulled open the door and stepped inside, wishing his heart wasn’t thundering against his chest. He briefly contemplated turning around and running like the coward he was.
The room was a long rectangle with a high ceiling and exposed ducts. The bar took up much of the front part of the room. The back opened up for more seating and a pool table. He scanned the tables and located Jack and Gray in a booth just past the end of the bar. Gray acknowledged him with a slow perusal and a smile. Mason pointed toward the bar, indicating he would get a drink and then join them. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to drink anything though. Butterflies were performing gymnastic routines in his stomach.
He ordered a Cape Cod, but when he reached for it, his hand was so sweaty he nearly dropped the glass. What was he playing at? He was a nerdy guy who wanted to be a chemist and read scientific articles for fun. A three-way with a couple of closeted cops was so not his speed. At least most of his previous idiotic decisions had involved nerdy guys like himself.
Jack slid over, making room for Mason on his side of the booth. “Glad you made it,” he said, letting his hand rest on Mason’s arm.
“Um…yeah. Me too.” He looked from one of them to the other. Jack was wearing a black t-shirt and a black leather jacket. He looked like the captain of the football team playing the part of a bad boy.
“Like what you see?” Jack asked, grinning at him.
Mason looked into his sky blue eyes and forgot how to speak.
“He does,” Gray said, his deep voice calling to Mason, breaking the spell Jack held on him. He looked at Gray, and Jack let his hand drop to Mason’s thigh. He slid it back and forth, caressing him through his jeans, letting his fingers come within inches of Mason’s cock, which was now very interested in the proceedings.
“Jack, how can we talk to him with you doing that?” Gray asked.
Jack grinned. “I can’t wait any longer. I’ve been wanting to touch him for so long.”
Gray raised his brows. “He is quite tempting, but you’re distracting him.”
Mason sat, paralyzed. He looked back and forth between them as they talked about him, unable to do anything but enjoy the sensation of Jack’s hand on his thigh, the heat of his touch seeping into Mason’s skin.
Jack squeezed his leg and let go, bringing his hands up on the table and lacing them together. “See? I’m going to be good now.”
Gray snorted. But before he could say anything else, a woman slipped out through the kitchen doors and brought a plate of Undertow’s famous bacon-wrapped dates to their table.
“Thank you,” Gray said in his sultry voice.
“You’re welcome,” she responded, blushing fiercely, obviously as much under Gray’s spell as Mason was.
“Gray can’t resist these,” Jack explained as the server walked away.
Gray grinned, looking like a kid with candy rather than an intimidating cop.
They each bit into one of the salty-sweet treats, groaning and muttering their appreciation of the culinary marvel.
Mason, able to talk again now that Jack wasn’t touching him, asked them the question that had been on his mind since they’d asked him to meet them. “You don’t mind being seen together here”—he looked down to where Jack was now stroking the back of his hand, his “goodness” only having lasted a short time—“with me?”
Gray shrugged. “No one here cares.”
Jack looked uncomfortable. He started to say something, but Gray glared at him. Mason could tell he’d hit a nerve. Obviously, they didn’t agree on what level of risk they should take.
“You’re not out at work, are you?” Mason asked.
Jack shook his head. “We’re not. We can’t be, but apparently Gray doesn’t care anymore if we get caught.”
Gray sighed. “I care…I just—”
“He insisted we move in together.”
“We told everyone Jack couldn’t find another roommate when the guy he’d been living with got married. I said I needed help with my rent, so I asked him to move in with me. It’s convenient.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s convenient for you to have me in your bed every night.”
Gray smiled. “Damn right.”
Jack blew out a long, slow breath. “Sorry. It’s hard on both of us, but even if we were prepared to take the flack we’d get—the butt-sex jokes, the guys who would refuse to work with us—we wouldn’t be able to be partners anymore.”
Gray nodded. “And that would suck. We’re good together.”
Jack smiled at him, utter devotion plain on his face. “At work and at home.”
Mason’s chest tightened. No one who saw the look they gave each other would doubt they were in love. He had no business messing around with them and risking making either of them jealous.
He started to slide from the booth, but Jack grabbed his leg again. “We’re nowhere near done with you.”
Gray gave him a look that made his heart skip a beat. “Definitely not. I have a lot of plans for you.”
“But you two are….”
Jack patted his leg. “We like you, remember?”
“And you like us too,” Gray said, his low, rich voice sliding over Mason like a caress.
“But I don’t want to come between you.”
Gray laughed. “I’d enjoy you coming between us.” His tone made his double entendre clear.
Mason choked on his drink, and Jack rolled his eyes at Gray as he patted Mason’s back. “You’re worried because Gray and I are together?”
Mason nodded. “I was with a couple once and things…ended badly.”
Jack pushed Mason’s hair off his face and ran his fingers through it. Mason couldn’t stop himself from leaning into Jack’s touch. “Gray and I have talked about this. There’s something about you, something we both want,” Jack said.
They weren’t Brett and Andrew; Mason had to acknowledge that. They seemed much more mature, but he was still terrified.
Silence settled over the table, and Mason felt the need to fill it. “Did you always want to be cops?”
