an impatient Mini-Mason is grinding against me. I reach between us, pushing my hand into the waistband of his sweats, and wrap my fingers around him.
He doesn’t stop kissing me, and it only takes a minute for him to lose himself.
Now we’re both covered in cum, our clothes too, but we don’t move to get up. I’m in no rush, and Mason doesn’t seem to be either.
I run my hand down his back and then back up again.
“We’re really bad at removing clothes,” he murmurs.
“We really are. We might need to do this over and over and over again until we finally learn. Ditch clothes first. Then come all over each other.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Mason finally rolls off me and stands. “Shower? We have to get rid of our clothes for that.”
“I’m in.” I force my wrung-out body to stand and then follow him down the hallway toward my room where he has a stash of his clothes. He still has half his crap in the guesthouse and half in here, but he’s in my bed every night without fail.
We strip down and throw our clothes in my hamper.
While we wait for the water to heat up, I remember something. “Oh, by the way, guess who messaged me today.”
“The Pope.”
“Harley wishes he was the Pope,” I mutter.
Mason spins and pins me with a confused look. “Message? No showing up unannounced, no following you?”
“I was shocked too. But no, Lyric … I don’t think you’ve met him yet. He’s Ryder’s partner and Harley’s first act on his label. Anyway, his single is dropping, so Harley’s busy with that seeing as he’s his manager. The text basically said the chasing has been put on hold for a while, but, in his words, it’s still happening.”
“Only a small reprieve? We can work with that.”
I step closer and run my hand down Mason’s wide chest. Dark hair covers his chest, and not for the first time since he’s been back, I take in the differences between now and when we were on tour. He’s manlier now, and it’s sexy as fuck. Where the label used to send him to have his chest waxed, he’s let that go. He’s unkempt, and I didn’t know that could be a turn-on. Living in Hollywood, everyone is superficial and materialistic. Stripped down to his bare personality, Mason is simple and … average, but it’s the thing I love about the new him the most. Because he’s raw. He’s genuine. He’s truly himself for the first time in ten years. I’m both envious and happy for him.
I can’t really wrap my head around a lot of things when it comes to my sexuality—why Mason’s the only guy I’ve ever been into, why I’m turned on by him even more now that he’s physically more masculine than he was—but I do know my feelings toward him haven’t wavered. They’ve only grown stronger.
He’s my Mason. My rock. My best friend.
My hand keeps traveling down his stomach, which I’m noticing has changed since he’s been back.
“You’ve lost weight.” My voice is laced with slight disappointment.
“I’ve toned up. A tiny bit. It’s from working out while you’ve been on set. There’s still plenty of me to love.”
My gaze flicks up to his, but his head is turned as he reaches for the water to test it. I don’t think he realizes what he said or he didn’t mean it the way I heard it.
“It’s hot.” Mason pulls me into the shower.
He’s completely oblivious to what the word love does to me. We’ve said I love you to each other plenty of times, but that was before. When we were friends. When he saw me as a brother.
Now, that one simple word has implications I don’t think he’s ready for. Hell, I’m not ready even though I’m desperate for it.
“You okay?” Mason asks.
I’ve been standing under the water while he’s been soaping up, and I haven’t moved.
I shake my thoughts free. “All good. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
Yeah, Denny, about what? We’re so not ready for this conversation. “Uh, I’m wondering if you’re going to show me your songs anytime soon.”
“That would be a hell no.”
I nod. “I suspected as much.”
We might not be ready for love, but try telling my heart that.
There’re only nine contestants left in the competition, three on each team, and this last week has been filled with a studio audience for the first time since the initial auditions. And tonight is it. The end. At least until the