Page 43 of A Little More Hope

Horror swept through me at Mason thinking I’d ever hurt him, sending ice flooding through my veins. I managed to sit up, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs. I had to tell him, make him see I’d never hurt him.

“I said don’t move,” Gabe snapped at me.

I ignored him and turned to look Mason square in the face. “I wasn't. I wouldn’t,” I choked, my eyes filling with tears.

“Hey, hey.” He scrambled across the bed and reached my side in a flash, his hand cupping my face. “I know, okay? I know.”

“You were having a nightmare.” Fuck, my throat hurt. “I was trying to wake you.”

“Jesus, Mason, are you really gonna believe his bullsh—”

Gabe went silent, his mouth snapping shut, his eyes ping-ponging between the two of us as he belatedly took in the scene he’d gate-crashed into. I could almost hear the cogs in his brain whirring as the situation became clear.

“Why are you both naked?” he asked, narrowed eyes returning to Mason, whose cheeks were flooding scarlet. Gabe’s eyes suddenly widened before he screwed up his face in disgust. “Aww, shit, Mason. In my fucking bed too.” Mason had the good grace to look apologetic but also at a total loss for what to say next. I guessed being caught with another man when everyone believed you to be straight would do that.

Wanting to ease Mason’s embarrassment, I responded to Gabe. “I live next door but I’m staying here,” I managed to say, not specifically answering the question. I cleared my sore throat to continue. “In the guest room downstairs while I’m renovating my place.” I jerked my thumb in the general direction of my beach house. “I heard Mason shouting, so came up to find him thrashing around all over the bed.” I flicked my eyes to Mason, whose own were shuttered, keeping Gabe out. Keeping me out. A pit opened up in my stomach. I’d seen the same look on a few so-called straight men I’d hooked up with in the past. “Once I worked out he was having a nightmare, I-I tried to wake him.” My voice hardened. “Then you turned up.”

He grunted, unrepentant. “Is this true?” he asked Mason.

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“He omitted the part where he was already in bed with me.”

The air whooshed out of my lungs when he turned toward me and winked, stopping my heart, the action so unexpected. Fuck, the man was gonna kill me if his friend didn’t get there first.

Gabe’s mouth dropped open, and I might have enjoyed his discomfort more if the intense pain in my ribs hadn’t reappeared full force since my adrenalin rush had worn off. I grabbed my side wincing at the stab of pain. Mason instantly dropped to the floor beside me.

“Christ will you two put some fucking clothes on,” Gabe muttered, coming out of his stupor. “It’s way too early in the morning for all this bullshit.”

“Stop being an asshole and make yourself useful,” Mason snapped. “Go and get some painkillers and some ice.” He gently took my chin in his fingers and moved my head from side to side, assessing the damage. My mouth felt like I had cotton balls stuffed inside, so I’m sure at the minimum it must be badly bruised, if not swollen. “You punched him in the face, Gabe. What the fuck?”

“I didn’t punch him in the face,” he sniped. “I punched him in the back.” He threw me a final glare and left the room, stomping down the stairs, taking most of the tension away with him.

My body sagged in relief, and I instantly regretted the move as a stab of pain speared my ribs making me tense. “God, it hurts,” I moaned, lightly touching the area with my fingers.

“Painkillers will help, but you’ll need to take things easy for a while.” Mason continued to study my face, before he inhaled sharply, realization dawning. “I did this to you,” he stated, his voice shaky. “I hit you in the face.” I lowered my eyes, not wanting to see the guilt in his. “Oh, Ash, no,” he replied, heartbroken.

“Honestly, it’s nothing.” I hoped to brush the incident off, not wanting him to feel any more guilt and upset than he already did. “I’ve had worse injuries falling off my surfboard.” He looked away, the anguish clear in his eyes. Placing my hand on his jaw, I firmly moved his head until he had to look at me. “I promise I’m okay,” I said gently. He bobbed his head in agreement, but the sadness in his expression confirmed he didn’t believe a word. “Let’s get dressed,” I coaxed gently. Hopefully, we’d have time to discuss his nightmare later when we were alone. “Then I need drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.”

His crooked smile had the tension in my shoulders easing. “You might need to help me.” Then, waggling my eyebrows, I got a small laugh in return. “I may need to be manhandled to get my clothes in the right place.”

He shook his head ruefully. “What would I do without you?”

I hoped he’d never have to find out. “Have to put up with the asshole downstairs all by yourself?”

“He’s not an asshole.” My eyebrows hit my hairline, and I got another laugh. “Okay, maybe he is a small one, at least.”

Moving forward, his mouth closed gently over mine, the kiss sweet and full of promise. I leaned into him, enjoying the comfort of being close, not wanting him to stop. When he parted his lips and his tongue requested entry, I gladly let him in, nearly swooning at the tenderness of his caress, while trying to ignore the twinge of pain in my jaw.

Mason broke away, panting hard. “C’mon, let’s get you up,” he said, desire heavy between us. “After that, we can assess the damage.” Uncurling himself from the floor, he stood. His semi-hard cock again directly in front of my face, and too much of a temptation to ignore, so I opened my mouth to suck in the head, but this time the pain piercing my jaw made me cry out for an altogether different reason.

“Nuh-uh,” Mason admonished as he carefully helped me stand.

“No fair,” I grumbled. The next stab of pain firing along my side had me nearly passing out at the intensity of it. “Jesus.”

“On the bed,” he ordered. “You’re going nowhere until we get you seen by a doctor. I’ll fucking kill him,” he added, the anger and fear coloring his words. I grimaced as I let him carefully help me up, the pain in my ribs becoming more intense with every movement I made. By the time I got in the bed, I was sweating profusely from my exertions, my whole body as weak as a newborn kitten.

---