Rock Bay 2 - Letting Go (19 page)

A
LITTLE
more than a week later it was Mason’s twenty-first birthday. He’d not been planning to make a big deal out of it, it wasn’t like his life would change in any way, but as soon as Drew found out from Logan, who was determined that Mason should celebrate, he drafted Lex, Tally, and Amy into planning a big party—at least a party with their whole crew plus Travis and his girlfriend, who only had a few more weeks in town. They were going to a gay club, the only one within a fifty-mile radius at least. Mason had protested at first, it had been so long since he’d been in club mode, and he was honestly a little worried about what Drew would think of that side of him.

Still, when the night came, and everyone was getting ready to go, Mason couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Sure, it wasn’t going to be a big, crowded, Seattle club with tons of boys in glitter, but there could be at least one boy in glitter. He hadn’t done it for so long. It might be fun. Since the club was in Oregon, the others had decided to meet at Mason’s apartment. Drew had arrived earlier and was in the shower. They’d decided it was probably best not to tempt fate by showering together. The last thing they needed was the whole group arriving while they were getting hot and heavy in the shower. And they probably would. Between his crazy hospital schedule, and Drew trying to get his clients’ taxes filed before the end of the month, they hadn’t seen each other since the barbecue at Lex and Tally’s. He’d missed Drew. A lot. At least they got to talk on the phone. It wasn’t enough.

Mason shimmied into his club pants, the dark jeans that barely clung to his hips and showed off an awful lot of skin above the waistline. He mussed his hair all up and lined his eyes with the black eyeliner that hadn’t gotten any use in months, since Todd had hated when he wore it. He even applied a little bit of mascara and, of course, a liberal shake from his silver glitter.
We’ll see what Drew thinks.
That done, Mason wandered over to his closet and flipped through his old club shirts, trying to find one that he liked. He wanted it to be sexy, but not too much… or too little, as the case may be.

He was still thinking about it when a pair of lips trailed their way down his spine and then back up. “Hot jeans,” Drew whispered against his neck.

“You like them?”
“So much that I want to drag them off you already. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”
Mason rubbed his ass against Drew’s toweled crotch. A promise he was very willing to keep later. “Which shirt should I wear?” Mason ignored Drew’s groan and held up a dark purple tank top and a navy blue T-shirt.
“Wear the tank top. I love your arms.”
“I love your arms too.” Mason turned and kissed Drew.

Drew wrapped his arms around Mason and kissed him back. Hard. Then he drew away slowly and opened his eyes. They went wide. “Damn,” he murmured.

“
Damn
,” Drew repeated. Then he dove back in for another long, breathless kiss.
They only stopped when loud voices started drifting in from the living room, and Tally shouted, “You two better come out before we send the brute squad in for you!”

Mason giggled and pushed Drew away. “C’mon. You heard him. I have to put a shirt on.”
“I know. We have to go soon.” Drew couldn’t have looked any more disappointed about going out and having fun with their friends.
“Yeah, but we’re going to your place tonight, right?” The implied meaning was loud and clear. They’d be going to Drew’s place, where they could have sex all night as long and loud as they wanted without Logan hearing. Mason’s belly tightened at the thought. It had been a long-ass week.

They emerged to a bunch of catcalls and remarks. Mason just laughed it off, but poor Drew’s face turned bright red. He really hadn’t had much experience. Mason just didn’t get it. Drew was so gorgeous. Well, yeah, he did
get
it, like with closets and all, but even on the sly Drew could’ve had so much ass if he’d wanted. Mason kinda liked that he hadn’t. It made what they’d started with each other so much better.

Everyone caravanned to the club in three cars. At first, they were going to ride in the backseat of Lex’s BMW, but at the last minute, Drew decided he’d drive them. Mason was relieved, honestly. He had a feeling he and Drew weren’t going to make it the whole night, and the rest of the gang looked like they were gearing up for a good time. Even Travis and his girlfriend had their party clothes on and a few Red Bulls in their systems. It was awesome that all of his friends had come out for his birthday, but all Mason really wanted to do was spend the night in Drew’s arms. Maybe that was dumb, but he didn’t care.

The club was really small, at least by Seattle standards, but Mason felt that old thrill that had always zinged through him whenever he was about to head into the club for a night of dancing. Part of it always used to be managing to sneak in when he was underage—way underage at the beginning— but there was still the drinks and the lights and hot guys to grind up on. He only had plans to dance with one hot guy, unlike his usual many, but there was something kinky about touching Drew in public, letting all the other people in the club know just how much Mason wanted him. And he wanted Drew a lot.
A lot
, a lot.

“What do you want to drink?” Drew asked, leaning over and whispering in his ear. Mason didn’t know if it was the club, or the fact that he knew he and Drew weren’t going to have their clothes on for very long that night, but just the wash of warmth from Drew’s breath in his ear was enough to have him shivering and palming the start of an erection.

“Um, just a shot. See if they have whipped cream vodka. And an orange slice.”
“Come up with me. We’ll do the shot together.”
Mason could see it in Drew’s eyes. The same thrill that he was feeling. It was magnified, most likely, by the fact that this was Drew’s first big night out with a man, in a public place, where they could show affection and touch and kiss and all the things that Mason was looking forward to but had taken for granted since he left his hometown. It had to be pretty heady for Drew. Drew led him to the bar and ordered the shots. He looked at Mason when they came, as if for directions.
“Here,” Mason said with a smile. It was hard not to smile at Drew. He was so adorable. “Take the orange. Do the shot and then eat it. It’ll taste like a Creamsicle.”

They both downed the sweet vodka and sucked on their oranges. Then, without hesitating for a moment, Drew brought Mason in for a long orange-and-whipped-cream-flavored kiss. When they parted, he was grinning.

“It’s fun, isn’t it?” Mason asked.
“What?”

“Being ourselves in public. Kissing in front of people without worrying that they’ll freak out.”
Drew nodded. “Yeah, it is pretty amazing.”

“C’mon, let’s go dance.”
“Dance?” Drew’s eyes went a little panicky.

Mason had to laugh at that. “Yes. Dance. You’ll survive, I promise.”
I
T WAS
a little scary, Drew had to admit. His first trip onto a dance floor in nearly thirty-three years. But he didn’t want to disappoint Mason, who was dragging him out there by the hand, wiggling his hot little ass the whole time.
You’re fine. You won’t look like a total dork. Yeah right.
The pep talk was a bit unsuccessful, but he really did try to look like he wasn’t about to pass out from nerves. When they got out to the place where Amy and Travis’ girlfriend Cheri were dancing and waving to them, Mason turned and put his arms around Drew’s neck.

“You know why I like dancing so much?” he asked. Drew shook his head. It seemed pretty much like torture to him, so clearly he had no idea. “’Cause it’s like having sex with all your clothes on,” Mason said into Drew’s ear, just loud enough to be heard over the music. “C’mere.”

That one little word sounded so innocent, but oh Jesus it wasn’t. Drew should’ve known. He
did
know. He supposed he just didn’t care. So what if their friends saw Mason pull him close and grind their crotches together? They probably saw the face he made too, like he was trying not to come all over the place in public. Mason must’ve seen it. The wicked grin he tossed over his shoulder as he turned around said that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Drew tried to get into the rhythm of the song, sway his hips in time with Mason’s ass and the fucking illegal things it was doing. It sure as hell was hard to concentrate, though. At least it was until he let go of everything he was thinking, and worrying about, and noticing… and simply felt. That’s when he realized why people loved to dance. Mason was right. It
was
like sex. And not just the dirty grinding hips, the arched backs, or the sweat. It was the part where he lost his head a little, where the world ceased to exist, and the only thing that mattered was the beat thrumming through his body. Drew slipped his hands underneath Mason’s shirt, slid them up his slightly damp abdomen, and pulled Mason’s body up against his. Mason dropped his head back onto Drew’s shoulder and panted. The only thing Drew could think to do was lean forward and suck on Mason’s neck. Hard.

“Uh,
damn
.” Drew surfaced from the pleasure cocoon he and Mason had been in for the past few songs. Cheri was staring at them with slightly wild eyes.

Travis smiled and yanked her away, back to where the rest of the group was dancing. Drew couldn’t believe he hadn’t even noticed them fill up the floor. “Don’t mind her,” Travis said. “She’s got a
Queer as Folk
fetish. I think she likes to watch.”

“Who wouldn’t? That was beautiful,” Cheri murmured.
Even Mason looked a little embarrassed at that, but he smiled and leaned back to kiss Drew.
“Want another drink?” Drew asked.

“No way! It’s my turn,” Tally protested, and took Mason’s arm to drag him up to the bar. “Anyone else wanna buy the birthday boy a shot?”

Mason was a little more loose by the time he was returned to Drew’s side. After Lex and Tally were done with him, Drew was surprised he could stand. Mason curved his arms around Drew’s waist and said, “Hey, sexy.”

“Hey.” Drew smiled back and kissed Mason’s soft, alcohol-flavored lips. “You want to dance a little more?”

“Yeah. I told them no more shots. I don’t want to fall asleep later.”
Drew liked drunk Mason. He was cute. Kinda talkative. Nothing like drunk Brock.
Don’t think about that asshole tonight.
“It’s okay if you do. It’s your birthday, hon. I just want you to have fun.”
“I want you inside me,” Mason answered, his lips against Drew’s neck. “No sleeping.”
Drew gulped as a flash of heat zapped him right in the cock. Yeah. Just in case he’d thought that wasn’t happening yet.
Hell, yeah.
After their little afternoon delight the week before, he’d thought of little else.
“I want you too, baby. Let’s go dance it off, ’kay?”
“’Kay.”
Mason was a little more sober by the time they left the club. The others were right behind them, having insisted everyone meet at an all-night breakfast place for omelets and hash browns, just over the bridge in Washington. There were more than a few drunken lists in people’s walks as they poured out of the club and toward their cars. Drew glanced over at Tally and Logan, the other designated drivers, and shared a smile. Even trailing drunk people around had managed to be fun. It was so different than it used to be, dragging Brock back to his place, belligerent and messy. These guys were funny, a little loud maybe, but giggling and making raunchy jokes that he couldn’t help laughing at. Drew wondered again how he’d let so much of his life pass without having real friends like the ones he finally had now.

Astoria were among the drunkies.
“I know. It’s cool, babe,” Mason said quietly.
“Loogs, remember that place we went to dinner on
Wednesday? Think you can find it?”
Logan shrugged. “I’m not sure. Don’t lose me,
okay?”
Breakfast was a little silly and very loud.
Drew felt a little bad for the restaurant’s
employees, who were most likely used to truckers

and the odd night owl at one on a Saturday morning. Instead of quiet patrons they got, well, they got Drew’s friends. Everyone was nice to the servers, there weren’t any derogatory remarks like some certain people—ahem,
Brock
—might have made in the past, but they weren’t what you’d call quiet and low maintenance either. Drunk Amy asked for whole grain toast and wondered if the eggs were Omega three. The server just laughed softly and said, sure they were, and they were free range too. Amy nodded and said she’d have an omelet and a side of sausage links. Drew looked at Tally and they both tried not to laugh. Mason ordered a waffle with extra whipped cream and cherries. Then he proceeded to whisper to Drew in his not-so-quiet whisper that he had a pretty good use for the whipped cream later. It took the table a good five minutes to stop laughing. It took probably twice that long for Drew’s face to stop burning.