Mason
I’d hopedto get some sleep on the flight, because I certainly hadn’t been sleeping well at home with the prospect of the trip ahead of me.
I had to get through this signing and week of promotional events for my new graphic novel, or my publisher was going to drop me. Since I wasn’t the only one who relied on my success now, I had to make sure that didn’t happen. College tuition for Zem was expensive, and after Tira had passed away a few years previously, I’d been the one taking care of her.
The flights had been about as horrible as I’d expected. A long layover in Denver, several delays, and then a screaming toddler on the final leg. I’d finally given up even pretending to sleep.
Then I’d arrived at the ass end of nowhere and no one had shown up to pick me up at the airport. Thank god for Lizzie. She had talked me out of turning around and booking a flight back several times already. I was about at the end of my patience, though, and seeing if I could track down an airline agent when I heard a deep voice shouting my name.
“Cameron!Mason Cameron! Front and center!”
The entire luggage claim went quiet, and I felt my ears burn aseveryone stopped and turned to look at the man yelling my name. For a moment I froze, then hesitantly peeked out from behind the pillar where I had tucked myself. The movement drew his gaze and he stalked toward me.
The man, no, mountain would be a better description, approached, his eyes flashing angrily. He was taller than me, which I didn’t see often. He had on black, sweat stained tactical pants that molded to his body like a second skin. As he got closer, my breath caught in my throat. It wasn’t that he was really that big, it was just he had thispresenceto him that demanded you sat up and noticed him. At least, that’s what my cock was saying.
“You Cameron?” he barked as he walked up, a pissed-off look on his face. I nodded, mutely, trying desperately to swallow past the lump in my throat. I would not run. I would not run…
“Devereaux,” He barked, thrusting his hand at me almost angrily. “Lee Devereaux.”
His voice was deep, a little gravelly. His green eyes glinted like ice, and I struggled to catch my breath as I tried to respond.
“Mason Cameron,” I squeaked, nodding and trying to get control of my racing heart. I glanced at his outstretched hand then back up to his face and shrugged. With my phone, laptop and luggage in my hands, they were kind of full at the moment.
Something seemed to move behind his eyes, and his angry gaze softened. I vaguely noticed he had on a royal blue t-shirt that said “Twin Peeks” on the front. A dim part of my brain remembered that was the name of the sponsor’s store. His store, maybe? I didn’t remember if Lizzie had told me much about the store owner. The blue of his shirt made his beautiful green eyes stand out, the material of the shirt straining across his chest and around the bulging muscles of his arms.
He had short, blondish-brown hair that looked like a grown out military cut and I couldn’t help but think how I’d want his hair to be just a little bit longer so I could hold onto it as I fucked his mouth.
Wait, what? “Fucked his mouth?”Who was this person in my brain? I didn’t contemplate fucking strangers. I didn’t contemplate fuckinganyone. In the eight years since I had escaped from my uncle and Dreyven, I hadn’t really felt a sexual interest in anyone, male or female. I mean, of course, I’d touched myself occasionally, but that was a given, right? Just a physical need that had to be taken care of, like eating and pissing. I’d never really thought about anyone in particular during those moments, though. The only image that came to mind had been that of my savior, my Dark Angel.
This guy was no angel, I thought, and swallowed hard. Just looking at him had sent a rush of blood flooding to my dick so unexpectedly, I stumbled and watched in horror as my laptop, which held almost a year’s worth of work on my new series, slid out of my grasp and headed for the floor. Just before it smashed into a million pieces across the airport concourse, Devereaux’s hand flashed out and snagged it. I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped me.
“Fuck me…” I moaned. Devereaux smirked at me as he turned the laptop around and held it out to me. “Thanks! I’ve been working on a new series for months now, and it’s all on this laptop. If that had broken, I think I would have cried.”
“No problem,” he said quietly, his intense green eyes never leaving my own. “Can’t have you crying, beautiful.” I blushed at the endearment, his eyes never letting go of mine. They held a strange, quiet strength. He seemed… familiar? But I couldn’t place from where. Someone this drop dead gorgeous I was sure I would have remembered if I’d met him before.
He handed the laptop to me and as he did our fingertips brushed. In that moment, I thought I literally forgot how to breathe. All the noise of the airport seemed to recede as heat sprang up my hand. My already-hard cock became painful, and I felt my balls pull up tight to my body. I was horrified... and oddly fascinated... at the thought that this man might be able to make me come in my pants. If he could do that with just his fingers, what could therestof his body do?
The app on my phone beeped and dragged me back to the present. I glued my attention to my phone, and my concentration shrank to a pinpoint as I struggled to manage my reaction. I was dazed and more than a little dumbfounded at the intensity of myphysical reaction to Lee Devereaux. Part of me was scared to death being near him. Well, near anyone, really. But another part of me reveled in his nearness. My cheeks felt like they were flaming as I flushed a bright red.
I was trying to use my carry-on to hide the growing bulge in my shorts, and I hardly knew what I said to answer the questions he asked as we walked to the parking lot. I vaguely remembered him saying something about driving and me complaining about the flight, but it was all I could do to focus on trying to breathe and still put one foot in front of another, much less carry on a conversation.
When we got to the car, an older model Jeep, I sprang into the back, relieved that I’d be able to put at least a bit of space between us. I saw him raise an eyebrow at me in question and realized I’d done something odd. It must have looked weird that I just got in the back, but right then I didn’t really care. I was still wrestling with the physical response I was having to this man and I needed the space.
Ever since escaping Ricky, I’d wondered occasionally if I was gay or if sex with men was just all I’d ever known. While it hadn’t been unheard of for Ricky to pimp me out to a woman, it hadn’t been that common, either. Most of the pedos I’d dealt with had been male. In the years since, my body had never responded to women in that way, but I also hadn’t found any guys I was that interested in, either. If the raging hard on in my pants meant anything, I guessed it confirmed that yep, I was gay.
I focused on my breathing for a few minutes to try and get my hands to stop shaking and get the anti-anxiety app on my phone to work. I stuffed the earbuds in my ears and the soothing voices, sounds and images began washing over me. I did my best to ignore Lee Devereaux and the uncomfortable things he did to my body, and buried myself in my phone for the rest of the trip. I knew I was being rude, but I really didn’t know how to respond to the man.
While I did my best to ignore him during the drive to my hotel, it was hard. Or rather,Iwas. He was either the sponsor or one of their employees, from the shirt he was wearing, but somehow, I couldn’t see this guy standing behind a counter all day selling comics. His bodywas much too godlike for that. I worked out in my gym at home, but my body was nothing like this guy’s.
An image of a naked Lee Devereaux splayed out across my bed, his hand slowly stroking his cock filled my mind. A groan escaped me at the thought, one I stifled as his piercing green eyes glanced at me in the rear-view mirror. I hastily returned my gaze to my phone and bit my lower lip, hoping maybe the pain would distract me.
Fuuuuuck.
We pulled up in front of a hotel. Some chain I’d never heard of, but nice enough. I didn’t really care about fancy – I still remembered sleeping in rooms with rats and roaches. This looked a far sight better than that had been. I fumbled with my stuff as we got out of the car. Lee helped me unload my luggage and acted like the steamer trunk I could barely move weighed nothing. I snagged a bellboy to help take things inside.
There were alotof people milling around – a TV in the bar area right off the lobby was playing some kind of sports event, there was a long line of people in front of the check-in desk, and a harried valet was running back and forth with car keys. My anxiety levels were still running high. Being around all these people was a challenge already. Being there with Lee Devereaux, making my body react crazily, was making them skyrocket.
I’d become a little agoraphobic in the years since I’d escaped my old life. I always felt like I was looking over my shoulder, just waiting for Dreyven to show up and snatch me back to Milwaukee. I got really scared in crowds sometimes, and any kind of pressure generally made it worse. I was looking forward to some much-needed alone time in my hotel room: I needed to get away from these crowds and this man and figure out what was going on in my brain... and the rest of my body.
