Sky’s hand slipped into Mason’s boxers and curled around his cock, making it jump and throb. It received a firm, confident stroke, and Mason swore as heat spread through his body and his nerves flared. “Wow! You’re really…good. And fast,” he managed, his eyes growing wide when Sky spit in his hand and shoved it back into Mason’s boxers. The slick warmth and Sky’s steady, assertive grip made Mason’s toes curl in his dress shoes.
“I’m Mr. Popular back at school. All the DL guys text me,” Sky boasted as he slid lower and shoved Mason’s shirt up and nuzzled the trail of hair below his navel. “I’ll hook up with two a day during finals. Sex is so good for my ‘tism.”
“Oh?” Mason was dizzy and queasy from too much flat wine and his raging hormones. Hecould notlet Sky give him his first blowjob. He’d be damned for eternity becauseit was Skyand for the rest of Mason’s natural life, he’d think about his best friend’s little brother blowing him when he wanted to get off. “Wait!” he gasped out, just as Sky opened wide and his tongue stretched toward the head of Mason’s cock.
Sky blinked up at Mason, his tongue still out and the tip less than an inch from the head. “Heh?” He should have lookedcomical with his wild hair and swollen lips but he was beautiful and Mason wanted him more than he’d wanted anyone in his life.
“I can’t…” Mason looked around, reeling as he took stock and realized what they had done and what they were about to do. “I can’t do this!” He wiggled and twisted until he was out from under Sky. “This is… Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Sky!”
“Don’t! Fuck, don’t say you’re sorry!” Sky fell back and scrubbed his face with his hands. “It didn’t have to be a big deal and nobody needed to know.”
Mason shook his head. “But…I’dknow. And you’d know and…how would we face each other and how would I live with myself for…doingthatwith you, Sky? I’ve known you since you were an infant.”
“Stop! Don’t make it sound worse than it is. You and Sarina were in preschool when I was born.”
“Exactly! What will Sina say?”
“Dunno. Not really her business, is it?” Sky asked with a petulant swat, dismissing Mason. “I don’t tell her about all the guys I fuck. Do you tell her about everyone you hook up with?”
“Um… Yes.” Mason’s neck swiveled. “Not that I do that a lot,” he added in a mumble but Sky let out an amused huff as he rolled and tucked a pillow under his cheek.
“I noticed. Goodnight, Mason.”
No! Don’t hit me with a Mason!
That was how you knew Sky was pissed or wanted the conversation to end. He made “Mason” sound like “Fuckhead” and referred to Sarina as “my sister,” instead of using her nickname.
“I’m sorry.”
“Get out.”
Mason swore as he quickly fixed his shirt and fly. “Can I get you anything before I go? A glass of water? Tylenol? A wastebasket in case you need to…?”
“Get. Out.”
“Okay!” Mason held up his hands apologetically as he backed toward the door. “You can text if you need—” He ducked when a pillow flew at his head.
“Out!”
Mason lobbed off one more “Sorry!” before escaping and quietly shutting the door behind him. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” he whispered, then turned and went to find Sarina.
It took a while to locate her, she was sitting alone in the garden on a bench under a rose arch.
“Hey! I have to tell you something but you have to promise you won’t hate me because I already hate myself way more than any man has ever hated himself,” he said in a breathless rush, then stopped when he noticed how off she looked. “Are you okay? What are you doing out here?” He dropped onto the bench next to her and pressed the back of his hand to her brow and cradled her face. “You’re clammy and flushed.”
“I had to throw up, but all the bathrooms were taken so I snuck out here and yacked in Mom’s hydrangeas,” she said, hitching a thumb over her shoulder.
“I didn’t think you drank any of that wine. Have you eaten anything today?”
She shook her head, her lip wobbling and her eyes pooling with tears. “I didn’t drinkanyof that wine. I can’t have alcohol while I’m…” Sarina bit down on her lips to hold in a panicked whimper.
“Oh!” Mason couldn’t think of anything else to say and didn’t know what he was supposed to do so he pulled her into his arms and held her as tightly as he could. “Oh…kay. We can handle this.” He remembered all of his parents’ warnings about the difficulties of unplanned pregnancies when he was in high school—the sacrifices, the stress, the sleepless nights—but it didn’t matter. Sarina was in trouble and she needed him. “It’s going to be alright.”
“No! It isn’t!” Sarina shook her head, her face mashed against his chest. His shirt was probably smeared with mascara but Mason didn’t care. “Everyone is going to hate me when they find out who the father is. They’re going to think I’m a monster and I won’t be able to show my face in Roseview ever again.”
“Come on! It can’t be that bad.” He leaned back, his brows lifting encouragingly. His eyes got dry as he waited but eventually, she mouthed a name. The very worst name Mason could have heard. “Oh…God, Sina! What were you—?” He stopped and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter and we’ll come up with something. But while we're confessing toawful, awfulthings: Sky and I just kissed and we almost…” He cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look.
“You and Sky?” Instead of flipping out, Sarina laughed and covered her mouth. “That would be so sweet, though!”
