Pretend

Page 73

Gavin grabbed ahold of Mason’s sides. They breathed each other’s air. Held each other. And damn, it felt good. Felt right.
“What about Alexander’s? We’ll figure it out—if you have to go back.”
Mason shook his head. “It’s taken care of. Isaac is hiring someone to help him there. I know it’s strange, but…my biological mom? She’s the one working Durango, with her husband. In some ways Alexander’s will always be mine. It’s my legacy, but I spoke with my family, told them what I want and what I don’t. Not just bullshitted them, but the real deal. Maybe Isaac will own it all one day, maybe he won’t, but Creekside is mine. I’m not going to say it didn’t feel good, fixing things in Durango. It’s how I felt with Creekside. But I belong here. Hell, maybe I’ll open another bar…”
“You’re a workaholic and you’re going to kill me.”
Gavin went to pull away but Mason stopped him. “Hey, I have never had to pretend with you. Even from the beginning, you knew who I was. I showed that person to you before I did anyone else. You’re more than I deserve. I want you.”
His cock started to fill with blood again, but it wasn’t the only part of his body working overtime. Mason was his. He felt him in each beat of his heart. “You’re back for good, then?”
Mason nodded. “I am. You said you’re not walking away from me, but I’m the one who isn’t walking away from you. You’re stuck with me now.”
Gavin would take that. “I want you in my bed every night. Move in with me. With my job at the school and your hours at the bar, it’s going to be hard to work it any other way.”
Mason pushed his body into Gavin’s. Rubbed their cocks together through their jeans. “That depends…will you play the guitar for me every day? And the piano, too? I want you to fuck me on it as well. Christ, you and that Goddamned music gets me hard every time.”
“I think I can handle that.”
“That’s what I want to hear. I love you, music man. You know that, right? You. Love the wonder I see when I look in your eyes. Love the way you want to do right by people. Love that you’ll jump out of a plane with me like it’s nothing. You’re the only one I want to fly with. Tell me you know that.”
“Yeah, I do. You helped me decide who I am, Mase. You saw me in a way no one ever had.”
Mason held him tighter and Gavin nodded toward the piano. “Can we get started now? The playing and the making love?”
Mason gave him a cocky grin. “Now’s gonna be when you want to kiss me, music man.”
Gladly, Gavin did exactly what Mason said.
EPILOGUE
Mason turned the chair around backward and sat down. The lights were low in Creekside and the place was pretty packed. Noah and Cooper sat beside him, Wes and Braden next to them. On the other side sat his parents and then Isaac. There were a few teachers from the high school here as well. Gavin had made quite a few friends since he started teaching.
When Gavin walked onto the small stage, Mason couldn’t help but grin. Christ, he loved the man, and he couldn’t be more proud of him than he was right now.
In the grand scheme of things, playing in Mason’s bar was nothing—but not to Mason, and definitely not to Gavin. It filled his chest to capacity to see his man on the stage in his bar. To know that he would sing and play the guitar, sharing such an intimate piece of himself with the world. Music lived inside Gavin, and tonight, people would see that the way Mason did every time he watched him.
“This is embarrassing. Damn, there’s a lot of people out there. Did you tell the whole town?” Gavin looked at Mason, who just shrugged his shoulders, waiting for his lover to start.
Gavin sat on a stool, pulled a guitar to his lap, and then cleared his throat. He played a few covers, which everyone ate up. Mason’s mom leaned over and whispered into Mason’s ear how good Gavin was between each song.
And he was. He had this sexy, raspy voice that drove Mason wild. It wasn’t often that Gavin sang, but every time he did, Mason fell in love with him all over again.
“I’m going to sing something a little different for you guys next. It’s just something I’ve been playing around with. Hell, I don’t even know if it’s any good or not, but here it is.”
Mason sat up at that. Gavin hadn’t told him he’d written a song to sing. He watched intensely as Gavin’s fingers began plucking at the strings. As soon as Gavin started to sing, Mason’s breath caught in his throat.