Page 44 of Rival for Rent

“Fuck, Kai, fuck,” was all the warning I had before he came, shooting into my hand and onto the bottom of my shirt.

I didn’t even care. I’d gotten Mason off. He’d come because ofme. He was panting, chest heaving, lips against my jaw—all because of me.

And when he tilted his head back, eyes closed, neck exposed, my own orgasm came faster than I was ready for. He looked so vulnerable, so blissed out, and it was my doing. I came, my eyes glued to him.

It was messy—my hand was already slick with his cum and now it was coated in my own too. I gasped for breath, my hand stroking a few more times, milking out every drop. Then my head fell forward, resting on his shoulder, and the two of us were still for a moment.

But only for a moment. Because no sooner had I gotten comfortable, and started thinking I could lie like this forever, than Mason took a deep breath and whispered, “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” I said, my eyes still closed. “That about covers it.”

“No. I didn’t mean—shit. What the fuck?”

My eyes snapped open at the edge in his voice. He pushed up to a seat, and I had to do the same thing or be crushed by him. I watched in confusion as he stood, tucking himself away and pulling himself together. His eyes were wide, and he shook his head frantically.

“What did I just do?” He backed away from the couch.

I was starting to get annoyed.

“You came,” I said flatly. “You let me jerk us off, together, and you came. And you seemed pretty into it at the time. Hell, you’re the one who started all of this.”

“Youkissedme,” he said, and I heard the echo of my own objection at the Butterfly Center. I must have sounded ridiculous then, because Mason sure did now.

“Don’t be childish,” I told him. “We’re both to blame, if you want to blame someone about this. But you really don’t have to—”

“I need to go.” Mason shook himself, then made a beeline for the door.

I stood up after him, awkwardly pulling my pants up as I did. Bella followed Mason to the door, clearly wondering where her favorite person was going.

“Mason, there’s no need to freak out.” I stared at him, confused, but more than that, tired. Was he really going to have a whole ‘I’m not gay’ panic after everything we’d been through? Apparently, the answer was yes.

“I’m not freaking out,” he objected, pulling the front door open. “I just—I have to go.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving me standing there, wondering what the hell had happened.

I tried not to think about hooking up with Mason for the rest of the evening. It was late, and I had another long day tomorrow. I should’ve gone to bed.

But I couldn’t stop seeing him in my head—his nostrils flaring, his eyes thick with lust, the way he nodded at me to touch him. Mason tugging me into his lap, growling when I ground against him. The sound of his voice, broken and needy, whispering my name.

Fuck, Kai, fuck.

The memory was sweet, but tinged with something bitter. I yanked at the feeling, trying to uproot it. I wasn’t going to be sad about how Mason had reacted. I didn’t even like the man. It was fine that he was gone. Totally fine.

Still, the house felt empty without him. It had only been a few days since he barged into my life, but already everything seemed quieter, duller. Even Bella looked depressed—but then, she would.

With a sigh, I headed upstairs for bed. But sleep didn’t come easily.

The next morning, I woke to someone pounding on the front door. I sat up with a jolt, heart racing. Bella wasn’t barking—she was wagging her tail, her tongue lolling out like she thought a treat was coming. So much for my guard dog.

Groggy, I shuffled over to the window. My bedroom faced the street, and when I peered down, I almost dropped the curtain. Mason was standing on my front steps with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“What the hell?” I said as I opened the door a minute later, still in my pajamas. It was early—he’d gotten here before my alarm had even gone off. “I thought you left.”

Mason strode in without hesitation and tossed his bag onto the couch. It landed right in the spot where we’d been tangled up yesterday, and I almost flinched. It felt surreal—like that moment had been a dream.

“I did,” he said. “But that was a mistake. I realized that overnight. So I grabbed some more stuff. Now I’m set for the next couple of weeks.”

“Couple of weeks?” I repeated, dismayed.

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