Page 14 of Run for Us

Shore’s hand dips beneath the waistband of my sweats and my half erection comes to life as he squeezes. I slide my palms down behind me, lifting my hips and leaning back so my arms bear my weight.

My head falls back, and I close my eyes. The sound of Kasen’s thrusts and Kinsley’s soft moans float through the air while Shore strokes my cock.Fuck, it almost feels wrong to make money from this. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel content. My anxiety is at a two out of ten, and no panic is waiting to rear its ugly head.

“That’s it, you’re doing perfect. Sit up a little. Now watch my cock and how well you’re taking me.”

“Oh wow!” Kinsley gasps. “That’s so hot... FUCK!”

I open my eyes and see Kasen has moved Kinsley’s legs so they are straight up in the air, his torso holding them up. His hips pull back, and he pistons forward, his speed picking up as her moans grow louder. Shore matches Kasen’s pace, and I know I won’t last long. The sensory overload has me coming in his hand, and seconds later, Kinsley screams.

When the spots clear from my vision and I glance over, Kasen has stepped back and is tucking himself away. I jump to my feet, turning my mask back on to help me find her dress. Until right now, I didn’t even realize she still had her white tennis shoes on. I shove her shredded thong into my pocket and walk over to hand her the dress.

“We need to do that again,” she says with a chuckle, taking the clothing from me. She looks spent, lying on the table with the dress clutched tightly to her chest.

“Don’t worry,”Shore says, moving to her side.“There are so many filthy things I still want to do to you.”

On the floor by the wall, her phone vibrates. She sits up, slides off the table, and gingerly makes her way over to it. She looks down as she pulls her dress on.

“Be ready, anytime, anywhere,”Kasen adds. She looks over at us and nods.

I hear her answer her phone and greet someone named Jace, but none of us stop or turn around as we walk out of the buildingand hurry over to the boardwalk. Hiding ourselves behind the first cluster of trees, we turn our masks off and wait. None of us will let her walk home alone. While the town is safe, we are gentlemen, and it wouldn’t be right if we left her here.

Chapter Eight

Kinsley

The girls at work have gossiped about how sore their muscles were after a night of fun. I always figured it was an exaggeration because I’d experienced nothing like that until today. Now I have new muscles I never knew existed. I’d planned to get up at sunrise and sit by the ocean to draw whatever came to mind, but I couldn’t drag myself out of bed.

Strolling down to The Promenade on the hunt for coffee, I smell the delicious scent of food wafting through the air. I follow my nose until it leads me to Shore Bites, and Shore smiles brightly at me as I join the line. While I wait for him to serve two women close to his age, I watch as one tries to flirt with him—not that he seems to notice.

“I didn’t expect to see you with so many clothes,” I say when it’s my turn.

“Don’t get used to it. My shirt will be gone by lunchtime. What can I get for you?”

“Tell me you have coffee. I’m so tired my eyes burn.”

Shore smiles at me. “I do. Late night?”

I nod but don’t share why. Last night opened my mind, but it has left me even more confused. Shore makes my coffee while he continues to talk.

“I was up late last night as well. So many questions run through my mind when I stay up late. Like, why is it called ‘after dark’ when it’s really ‘after light’? And why do we press harder on remote-control buttons when the batteries are low?”

I snort. “I donotenvy you having a brain that thinks like that—I close my eyes and fall asleep.”

He hands me my coffee, and I take a sip. It’s perfect, and he didn’t even ask how I like it.

He leaves the inside of his truck and pops out the side. We both take a seat at the wooden tables facing the ocean.

“How are you liking Bluebell so far?”

I smile at the thought. I was hesitant to come here, as taking a break meant falling behind at work and disapproval from my mother when I return. Then add in the fact that I’m almost thirty, hate my life, and don’t know what I want for my future. Yet, after a few days here, I already feel more relaxed. At work, there was a time when I enjoyed creating my own designs, not just the clients’ visions, and last night was a liberating reminder of that. I did something solely for myself.

“I love it here,” I admit. “It’s quiet and relaxed. Everyone goes with the flow, and I don’t think I have ever felt so free in my life.”

“I feel like there is abutcoming.”

Staring out at the horizon, I take a deep breath. “Not so much abutand more that I just know there is an end date. My life will go back to how it was, and this will all be a distant memory.”

Shore scoots closer to me and throws his arm around my shoulders. I go stiff. A complete stranger consoling me feels odd,and yet Shore either doesn’t pick up on my body language or doesn’t care.

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