In His Sights Page 3

  Mason finished his coffee, then put the cup in the sink. “Let me run upstairs and grab my phone.”

  “Okay.” Noah leaned against the cabinet to wait, pouring a little more coffee into his own cup.

  “Fuck.” Mason’s voice echoed through the house. When he stepped back into the kitchen, a frown marred his face.

  “Everything okay?” Noah asked.

  “Yeah. Just the power. Must have blown out last night with the winds causing the breaker to trip. Need to run downstairs and reset it. I’ll be right back.” Mason disappeared into what Noah assumed was the basement.

  “That should make it better.” Mason smiled as he came back into the room. “Although, now my phone’s dead.” He plugged the charger into the outlet above the counter and set it down. “I’ll leave the phone there. Blew up my car charger last week. Need to get a new one.”

  Mason inched over to the refrigerator and took out four bottles of water, handing two to Noah.

  “Thanks.”

  “You got it. Let’s go.”

  Outside, the sun shone in the clear blue sky, and the air had a crisp bite—perfect running weather. As he headed for the truck, Noah turned around. The picture in front of him didn’t shock him in the least. Somehow, he had missed it in the darkness the night before. Cobalt blue paint covered Mason’s house. And as if that wasn’t enough of a shock, his shutters were stark white, and his door fire-truck red. From what little he’d learned of Mason, the house fit his personality perfectly. With a smile on his face, Noah stepped into Mason’s truck.

  Within seconds, Mason steered them out of the driveway.

  Neither spoke as they drove. Noah glanced around to get a better idea of where Mason lived. The houses were as diverse as Mason’s tastes. Each of their shapes were different; one a small bungalow, then two doors down a McMansion. In Noah’s opinion, Mason’s stood out the most for all the right reasons. The color was brilliant, the style tasteful, and the size just right. They drove through twisting back roads, surrounded by large overhanging trees, and before long, they entered the park.

  Off in the distance, Noah spotted the lake. “This is amazing. Can you boat in here?”

  Both men stretched as they spoke.

  “Not with a motor. They let in paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes.”

  Noah soaked in the tranquility of the place. “You ever catch anything here?”

  Mason regarded Noah as if he was crazy? “Huh?”

  “Fish. Have you ever caught any fish in the lake?”

  “Oh man. I didn’t know what the hell you were asking.” Mason laughed. “Yeah. Caught a couple largemouth bass and some pike. There’s others in there—just haven’t gotten any yet.”

  “I haven’t fished since I was a little kid. Used to go with my grandpa.” Before all hell broke loose.

  “Next time you’re around, we should set that up.”

  Yeah. Next time I’m around. Right. “That’d be great.”

  “Ready to run?”

  Before Noah fully got out, “Yeah,” Mason took off.

  Mason took the race aspect of the run seriously.

  Noah started and quickly caught up to him. “Thinking you jumped the gun back there.”

  “You said you were ready.” Mason glanced over and smiled.

  Noah almost tripped on his feet. “Barely.”

  “Well, no worries, we’re even now.” And that’s how they stayed for the rest of the run. Most of the time, each focused on their running, and when they did talk, it was Mason pointing something out on the trail.

  When they made it back to the truck, Mason opened the door and grabbed each of them a water.

  “Thanks.” Noah downed the bottle in a few gulps.

  “Want another?” Mason held a second bottle for Noah.

  Noah reached out and took the drink. “Thanks.”

  In the car, Noah checked his phone. There weren’t any missed calls.

  By the time they got back to the house it was 6:30 A.M. Perfect.

  * * * *

  Both men shuffled into the house. Mason stopped and threw his keys in a bowl. “Why don’t you jump in the shower first?”

  Noah glanced at Mason. “Thanks.”

  Mason walked Noah to the bathroom and grabbed him a towel. “Here you go. What about clothes?”

  “I’m all right with what I wore last night. The flight’s only an hour, then I’ll have my duffle.”

  “Okay. Enjoy.” Mason ambled back downstairs and grabbed his phone to check in with the airport. He picked it up to inspect the charge and was surprised to see he had ten missed calls and twenty text messages. Did I miss my new flight?

  “No.” He examined who had sent the messages; they were all from Jeremy, his fuck buddy. He was about to dial his number, until he read the first message. Then the second. And the third, fourth, and tenth. Each one worse than the last. All accused Mason of messing around. What the hell. That wasn’t Mason’s style, and even if it was, he and Jeremy weren’t exclusive. Not by a long shot. They were just two buddies, both in need of occasional companionship. If this was the way their non-relationship was going, Mason was glad the plane had been canceled the night before. Because there is no way he was going to listen to someone bitching at him, on his first weekend off in ages. “Fuck no.” Even if said bitching got him a piece of ass.

  Smelly and a little bit angry, Mason trudged upstairs to his bathroom. A shower would help him get over it.

  Mason turned on the water, setting it a little cooler than normal to help get him back on track after being overheated from his long run. He plucked a towel from the closet, then put his sweaty clothes in the hamper. He caught a quick glance in the mirror, and a smile formed on his face. He was proud of the way he looked—hell, he worked hard for it.

  He stepped in the shower and immediately lowered his head. He let the water bounce down his back, stimulating his muscles more than they already were. He picked up the shampoo and let his fingers massage the soapy bubbles into his scalp. The tightness in his shoulders dissipated, and his anger washed away with each scrub. It was better he found out how Jeremy felt now rather than when he got there. Hell, he’d missed other times seeing him, and the man had never reacted like this. Something must have crawled up his ass and died, and as far as Mason was concerned, he wasn’t interested in finding out what it was. Better to just let things go. At least he would. He wasn’t sure what Jeremy’s plan would be for handling this, but as long as he didn’t plan to fly down and confront Mason about his reaction, Mason was pretty sure he wouldn’t have to deal with Jeremy anymore. As far as Mason was concerned, he would again apologize for what was out of his hands, and end their relationship, or non-relationship as it was, then and there.

  Mason closed his eyes and leaned his head back, washing all the suds from his hair.

  Finished, he reached for his body wash and rubbed his shoulders. Working his way over his chest and down to his cock, it twitched. It apparently hadn’t gotten the memo explaining it was on its own for the weekend. “Sorry, fella.” Mason soaped his cock, moving his hand nice and slow. Up and down. The twitching increased as his dick hardened. It wasn’t his dick’s fault the plane was canceled. Why should it be punished? Mason stroked with more vigor the longer he continued. He twisted his hand and took time to pull on the head. Close, he closed his eyes and an image formed in his head. The man stood pressed up against the wall. His body slightly arched, giving Mason access to his ass. Mason positioned his cock at the opening, pushing in until he was balls deep. The tightness was almost his undoing. Mason remained frozen in place, afraid to move, ending it all too soon. When the muscles squeezed, tightening around Mason’s cock, he lost it. He pumped his hips, increasing the friction.

  Shocks radiated up his back. His balls pulled up tight, and his movements turned erratic. His fingers dug into his lover’s hips as he shot his seed. Mason’s breaths were deep as he watched his cum go down the drain. It had been too long since he’d done that, savin
g up for the weekend.

  Feeling more like himself, Mason seized a pair of jeans from his closet and an old Henley T-shirt. He half thought about shutting his phone off—not having to hear if jerk boy tried to call again—but he wouldn’t, in case his mom, sister, or work wanted to get in touch. He’d leave it so he could hear the ring, but would ignore it if Jeremy’s number flashed across the screen. He’d save that discussion for later. For after his after dinner drink.

  A noise rose up from downstairs. Shit. Noah was already done and waiting for him.

  He hightailed it down and found Noah standing in the living room, a bottle of water in his hand, peering out through the French doors. Mason, again, couldn’t help but stare at the man’s full rounded ass, and the way his jeans hugged it.

  Noah’s words clipped Mason’s thoughts in the bud. “It’s like your own little piece of heaven back there.”

  Mason sauntered over to stand next to Noah, as his chest filled with pride. “Yeah. This space is what sold me on this house. It’s like getting away without having to go anywhere. Which is perfect, because I almost never have time to go anywhere.”

  Noah turned to face Mason. “Work that crazy?”

  “Yeah. Past twelve months. A case has been taking up a lot of my time. Usually, I don’t mind. Except when it interferes with other plans.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  If only he could—he had no doubt Noah would be able to shed some new light on things if he caught him up. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the way things worked. “Can’t. But it’s the same as usual. Every lead you follow ends up at a dead end until you land right back where you started.”

  “That sucks. Sorry.”

  “It’s all good.” Mason refused to let the job get to him right then. He’d feel enough pressure when he had to go back to work in four days. “Nothing can be done about it, so we keep chipping away.”

  They were both quiet. Mason wondered what caused Noah’s faraway look. He hated interrupting Noah’s thoughts, but it was already late. “You talk to the airlines?”

  “Already did. My flight’s not until five-forty-five tonight. How about you?”

  “I haven’t tried, but I’m thinking of changing my plans and canceling the trip.”

  “Everything all right?” Noah’s voice held concern.

  “Yeah.” Guy I was supposed to hook up with turned into a raging lunatic. “Just not in the mood to rush. Would have had a couple days up there, now I’ll only have a little over twenty-four hours, and only if lift off is within the next couple hours. I might as well stick around here and relax a bit. Not like I get a huge amount of time off.”

  Noah stared into the yard, and Mason stared at him. Something was on the man’s mind, and Mason wanted to know what it was.

  “I got an idea. You’re heading down to Maryland early. Not expecting to hook up with anyone until Monday. Why don’t you stay? My plans fell through. We could do a barbeque tonight. Do a little fishing tomorrow?” Mason wasn’t sure what made him ask, but since he had, Mason caught himself holding his breath, waiting for Noah to answer him.

  Chapter 4

  Stunned only mildly described Noah’s current state. He hadn’t seen Mason’s offer coming. Now that it was out there, he didn’t want to do anything else. But the question was, could he? Could he stay for another three full days with Mason? Alone? Hanging out like two regular guys?

  Shit. Mason stood staring at him now, the doubt in his eyes obvious. Noah didn’t want Mason to think inviting him to stay was a mistake, so before Noah could give the idea any more thought, Noah said, “Sure.” Unexpected excitement spiked through him. Then he remembered, “Shit. My duffle went through to Maryland.”

  “No problem. Call ahead, they’ll hold it. You can borrow my stuff while you’re here.”

  “You sure? I’m going to borrow your briefs?” Noah asked, trying to be funny.

  “Unfortunately, you can’t. I don’t wear any.” Mason’s answer sobered Noah right up.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. Noah’s stomach did the damn flip-flop thing.

  Mason smiled. “Why don’t you call the airline, change your flight, and I’ll check what’s in the freezer for dinner.”

  “Perfect.” Noah ran upstairs to retrieve his phone and his plane ticket. He sat down on the bed as he dialed. Within ten minutes, the airline had him rescheduled on the same flight, only Sunday night instead of Friday. That gave him three more days to spend with Mason. A shiver raced down his back with thoughts of what they’d do.

  Mason called out to Noah, and stopped his thoughts before they traveled too far down that road. “I’m coming,” Noah yelled back.

  As Noah came down the stairs, Mason exited the kitchen. “There are some steaks. We can do those, or run over to the fish market and buy some mahi-mahi, and do a little surf and turf.”

  “Both sound delicious, but we might catch some of our own surf tomorrow, so why don’t we do the steak tonight.”

  “You’re right.” Mason padded back to the kitchen, and Noah followed him. Noah’s gaze went straight to Mason’s ass. He needed to knock it off before Mason noticed.

  Mason ambled to the refrigerator, and Noah walked around the island. He didn’t want to be too close, but didn’t want it to appear as if he purposely chose to distance himself either. Noah thought being out of smell range of Mason’s scent might be a smart idea.

  Mason took the steaks from the freezer and put them in the refrigerator. Noah’s stomach growled, already excited for dinner.

  Mason turned around and leaned on the counter. “So, what do you feel up to today?”

  “Not sure. This is your neck of the woods. I’m game for most anything,” Noah answered, realizing he truly was.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Noah said, confident in his answer.

  Mason hesitated for a second before continuing. “I’m sure this isn’t what you were hoping, but I’m supposed to pick up some trees upstate.”

  “Trees?”

  “Dogwoods for the corner of the backyard. They’re waiting for me, and I planned to try to hire a driver to go and pick them up some time this week. But since I’m home, we can take my truck, go by, and get them.”

  Heading out and getting back to nature sounded perfect to Noah. “Great.”

  “You sure? We can skip the trip and do something else. Besides, the nursery’s upstate, fifty miles over the Throgs Neck.”

  “Today’s perfect for a road trip.”

  “Yeah. It is.” Mason smiled, and Noah wanted to remember how it happened so he could make him do it again.

  “Why don’t we grab a bite to eat, then head out on the tail end of rush hour?”

  “Perfect. My stomach was about ready to complain.” As the words came out, Noah’s stomach growled again in agreement.

  Both men laughed.

  “Omelet?” Mason asked.

  “Sure.”

  Mason padded to the refrigerator and pulled out everything he’d need.

  Wanting to earn his stay, Noah asked, “What can I do to help?”

  “Want to chop?”

  “Sure.”

  They worked together preparing the breakfast. The aromas floated through the room and caused Noah to wish the omelets would cook faster.

  When they sat down to eat, both men stayed quiet, focused on the food in front of them. Noah took the last morsel of his food into his mouth then peered at Mason.

  Mason’s eyebrows were drawn close, his gaze not quite making contact with Noah’s. “You sure you’re okay with this?” Mason asked. “With me putting you to work?”

  “Absolutely.” Noah smiled, trying to wash away Mason’s doubt. “Physical labor and working the muscles always makes for a great day.”

  Mason smiled. “Okay. Then let’s go.”

  They both hopped in the truck. About to pull out of the driveway, Mason stopped. “Shit. Think I should bring some rope and a tarp. They probably have, but in
case they don’t, I’d rather not spend the day driving around a town I’m not familiar with, trying to find supplies.”

  “Smart.”

  As they both got out of the truck and sprinted to the garage, Mason told Noah where to find the rope, and Mason climbed up the ladder and grabbed the tarp off a shelf. With the items in their hands, both men raced back to the truck. This time when the truck made it to the end of the driveway, Mason drove onto the road.

  For the first few minutes of the ride, the only sounds in the car were raspy voices from the radio, singing about their lost love. Well technically, three different voices. Each song sounded almost the same, except in the first one the guy got on a plane to forget about her, the second drank to forget about her, and the third had already forgotten about her. Next, Noah expected to hear about the guy’s new girlfriend. Or that he got a dog for companionship instead.

  By the time they arrived at the highway, Noah’s legs bounced while his hands fidgeted. He needed to break his and Mason’s silence, but how? He kept his gaze focused out the window, staring at nothing in particular.

  “How’d you find this place? Internet?” Noah smiled, glad something popped into his head, even though it was lame.

  “No. Guy from my team recently had his yard redone. Said after a lot of shopping around this nursery had the best bang for your buck. Saved me time tracking the trees down.”

  “Cool.”

  And that was it—back to silence. His words were not quite the conversation starter Noah had hoped for. His eyes strayed back to gazing out the window. He counted the cars with New York license plates as they passed. When he counted up to forty, he got upset. Why is getting us to talk all on me? Mason doesn’t seem to be bothered. He had on the same smile he wore all morning. They passed two more cars. Hell no. This trip is too long to be playing with license plates.

  Needing to talk, Noah decided on something that had been bothering him, but he couldn’t figure out why. “The woman in the pictures in your hallway—is she your girlfriend?”

  Mason’s reaction stunned Noah. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it definitely wasn’t Mason laughing hysterically.