Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(46)

“But you said it’s serious?”

Gawd, he’d almost prefer jousting in texts with Freddie to this. “We are serious, yes. But it has only been a few weeks and we’re exclusive and once the time is right I’ll introduce you. It’s complicated.”

“Well, okay.”

He wasn’t sure his mom was open-minded enough to accept him being in a poly relationship, but he wasn’t going to leave Kim behind and march Cole around and pretend Kim didn’t exist.

Eventually, he’d figure it out, but that morning was not the time to do it. “Mom, I really have to go. I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m juggling this morning.”

“Okay. But I want to meet your guy sooner rather than later.”

Grrreeeaaat. “You will, but not in the next few weeks. I’ve got a downtime coming up that I have to prep for, and it’s taking every last ounce of extra attention and time that I’ve got.”

“Well, let me know when, then.”

“I will. Gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He stared at his phone. How would his parents react to meeting Cole and Kim? If they were going to be part of his life, he wasn’t going to hide them like a dirty secret. He might have to figure out how to explain around the poly aspect sometimes, but he wouldn’t deny he loved both of them.

Problem for another day.

He focused on his work. When a text came through from Freddie, he spotted it only because he’d had his phone lying face-up on his desk.

He ignored it and got back to work.





Chapter Eighteen


Mason stared at the status report on his computer screen for the better part of fifteen minutes before he realized he wasn’t even starting to comprehend any of the information there.

His mind was on Cole.

Just thinking about him made Mason hard.

It was Tuesday, and despite having spent most of the weekend naked and f*cking with Kim and Cole in Cole’s bed, or on Cole’s couch, or on other various, sturdy horizontal surfaces in Cole’s house, Mason was f*cking horny.

He and Cole had a date tonight.

A solo date.

Mason hadn’t felt this nervous since he was twenty-one and slept with his first guy after a couple of dates with him.

He didn’t want to f*ck this up. With Cole, or with Kim. He’d worried that Kim might be jealous and react badly to him wanting alone time with Cole, but she’d once again surprised him in a good way. She’d smiled at the news and joked that she’d enjoy a chance to curl up in bed and actually watch some of her shows that she’d only gotten to hear with her back to the screen and a cock down her throat.

“You guys need some alone time together,” she’d said, steadily meeting his gaze with the expression he’d come to learn meant she was totally serious and telling the truth. “I get alone time with Cole all of the time. And I’m going to get alone time with you. I don’t need to be with one or both of you every second of the day.”

She’d been fine with it, in other words.

Unlike—

Nope. He chopped that thought off at the ankles before thoughts of his pesky little ex could grab hold. In fact, Freddie had sent him several texts that Mason had ignored over the weekend, nothing on Monday, and then several again this morning.

Mason didn’t respond to them.

Tonight he wanted no expectations, nothing but honesty and whatever happened between him and Cole.

When he arrived at Cole’s, even though he’d been there plenty of times before, it felt…different.

Way different.

Walking up to the front door, his stomach threatened to knot up in a bundle of nerves.

What the hell’s wrong with me?

He didn’t even have to ring the bell, because Cole opened the door before he was even halfway there, standing in the doorway and wearing a pair of jeans, shirtless and barefoot, waiting for him. His hair looked damp from the shower and all Mason wanted to do was—

In three steps he was through the door and had shoved it closed behind him as Cole reached for him. He dropped his overnight bag and kicked it out of the way.

Next thing Mason knew, the taller man had turned them around and pinned Mason against the foyer wall, kissing him.

Fuck it.

Mason’s cock howled for attention. He grabbed Cole’s hips and ground his against him, forcing him back from the wall and turning them both, pinning Cole this time and taking over.

“I couldn’t think about anything but this today,” Cole admitted when Mason let him take a breath.

“Me, either,” Mason growled, hooking his fingers over the front waistband of Cole’s jeans and dragging him into the living room. He pushed him down onto the couch and fell onto him, kissing him again.

Fuck slow, Mason wanted his cock deep inside this man, his mouth or ass, he didn’t care, and right that moment.

He sat up and yanked his shirt off, tossing it to the side. He reached down and tweaked Cole’s nipples, tugging on them. “You realize by the time we finally collapse tonight we’re both going to have sore asses and empty balls, right?”

Cole grinned up at him. “Oh, f*ck, I hope so.”

Mason ripped the man’s jeans open and started tugging them down, licking and nipping, biting as he worked his way toward exposing Cole’s cock. He wanted hard and rough and tumble. He wanted to see what the man was like when he wasn’t holding back out of fear of hurting Kim in the bad ways.