Page 93 of Sapphire Spring

He and Chadwick had fought before but usually when they wereboth wasted, and over superficial things—mostly drugs and girls that hadn’tbeen shared to Chadwick’s liking. This was different. This was Mason droppinghis mask and Chadwick sneering and attacking what he saw underneath. And Masonstriking back. It wasn’t fear that was making his hands shake, it was energythat wanted to beput to use.

Put to usegrabbing Chadwick by theback of his neck and slamming him face first into the street.

Woah.The image of it—thefantasyofit—was so vivid and clear, he felt like he’d left his body. Traveled back intime. Lived out an alternate version of the moment he’d just finished outside.

He knew sobriety was to blame. In the same way it hadsharpened the edges of his lustful fantasies about Naser until they wereimpossible to ignore, here it stoked the flames of his rage toward the guy hehated to call his best friend. He didn’t regret giving in to the fantasy whenit came to Naser. Would he regret pounding Chadwick into the pavement if itcame to that?

It didn’t feel like it. It felt like he’d enjoy every minuteof it.

And that scared him suddenly. A blow leveled against Chadwickwas really a blow leveled against the parts of himself he was trying to leavebehind, a version of Mason that somehow felt old even though it had been infull force until about two weeks before.

Anger, he realized, could beahigh as potent as cocaine.

Suddenly, he was afraid Chadwick’s visit had unleashedsomething in him he couldn’t control.

His phone rang before he could chew over the comparison. ItwasNas.Thank you, God.

“Hey.” He’d tried to sound normal, but his voice came out asa husky growl.

“Jesus. That voice,”Nassaid.Mason felt instantly ashamed. His rage had crept into his tone. “That voicemakes me want to come over.”Apparently, there was no need to worryabout sounding angry on the phone when you were sleeping with a guy who likedit rough.

“Aren’t you?”

“See, that’s why I’m calling. It’sprettylateand I just…I mean, I want to come over, but I feel like I’ll be inbetter shape tomorrow if maybe I go back to my place and get some rest. But…”

“But?”

“I guess I’m…scared not to. Does that make sense?”

“Scared not to come over?”

“Yeah. Which sounds stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.”Please come over,he wanted tosay,please come over and save me from myself. Take this anger from me inthe kind of inches and thrusts you like.

“It is, though,” Naser said. “I just…I really…”

Feeling a blend of hunger and disappointment he wasdetermined not to inflict on the man who’d made his life so much better in sucha short time, Mason started upstairs. “I’m listening.” The answer from theother end was a steady rush of freeway sounds.

“I’ve got this thought in my head,” Naser finally said,“that if we take a night off, that might be it, you know?”

“It?”

“You know, that if I don’t come over tonight, there mightnot be another night. Ever.”

“Well, that’sdefinitelynotthe case. I’d be banging on your door, boner in hand, in no time.”

“Wow, that’s vivid. And kind of hot. Yet goofy.” Nasergroaned. “I know. It’s crazy. But I just had to say it out loud.”

“It’s not crazy. It’s just not true. I’ll tell you what istrue, though.” Mason sat down on the edge of his bed, the side he’d come tothink of as Naser’s after only three nights. “As much as I’d love to save upfor you tomorrow night, I probably will resort to smelling your side of the bedwhile I stroke my cock. Maybe driving myself into the sheets a little likeyou’re still here.”

“Alsokind of hot,”Naswhispered.

“Is it?” Mason stood, unbuttoned hisjeansand lowered his zipper, hoping Naser could hear.

He sprung free, achingly hard, as hard as if Naser wasgripping his shaft instead of him. The fear of Chadwick and Naser meeting, thecatharsis of shouting Chadwick into silence for the first time in his life, theheady drug of Naser’s sweet, soft voice in his ear. It had him worked up likecrazy.

“I might have to do it now then,” Mason said.

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