Chapter 2

He strode into the small Irish pub, immediately hit with the smell of beer and corned beef. Even though he wasn’t hungry, his stomach made a pleased noise.

The music playing in the background barely made itself heard over the hum of the people. Surprisingly, instead of being some type of traditional Irish music, Mason recognized the beat from today’s Top Twenty. With the base beating in sync with his heart, he walked over to the bar and took a seat against the wall, giving him a view of the entire establishment. As he sat, he took note of the other customers, most occupying tables, spread around the room.

The bartender, an older man wearing a black button-down shirt that molded to a set of broad shoulders, came over to Mason.

“How you doing tonight?”

“Would be better if I was on my flight. If I had a flight.” Mason couldn’t keep the grumble from his voice.

“Sorry about that. What would you like?” The man’s face lit up when he smiled.

“Jack and Coke.”

“You got it.”

Mason sat still, his gaze taking in the man’s ass as he strolled away to fetch Mason’s drink. It took the bartender turning around, almost catching Mason ogling him, for Mason’s stare to release its captive. He stood and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He’d keep track of how much he drank. At the end of the night, he’d have to drive home.

Dammit. He really hadn’t wanted to go home. I was looking forward to doing Jeremy. Seeing Jeremy—that’s what I meant. Sure. That’s what I meant.

The bartender put the drink down in front of Mason. Mason waited until the man was back with his change before picking up his drink and taking a big gulp. The cold liquid brought with it a heat that burned down Mason’s throat, straight to his belly. Perfect. Mason took another swig. Then another. With half the drink gone, his tensed muscles relaxed.

Focused on his bad luck, Mason was surprised to realize he’d failed to notice the man sitting at a table in the back of the bar, come in. His hair was in a crew cut. Could be a fellow Marine, but something about him said no. Definitely military, just not Marine. The way the man sat, Mason couldn’t see his face.

Mr. Military stood up and dug into his pocket. The movement pulled his pants tight around his ass. The body part had Mason wanting to walk over to the guy, skip the introductions, and head right into the bathroom with him. Shit. “Horny” sounded too polite a way to describe how Mason felt. Desperate and ready to throw someone up against the wall and fuck their brains out was more like it. The man sat back down, putting his delectable ass in the seat and taking it out of Mason’s focus. That pissed Mason off. His view, the only thing he’d have to enjoy that night, was gone. On top of that, the guy still faced away from where Mason sat, not letting him peek at the rest of the goods.

Mason took another sip of his drink. Adrenaline and lust rushed through his veins, he needed to calm down. Tonight was a bust, and if he couldn’t translate that to his half-hard dick, he was in for an uncomfortable night.

As Mason debated on how long he planned to stay at the bar, and whether he should order another drink, four guys walked in. They were all frowning, hauling carry-on luggage and looking displeased. It was obvious their plane had gone the way of the wind too, and they appeared none too happy.

All four bodies were fit, two a bit more filled out than the others, but what their muscles lacked their faces made up for. The first guy on the other side of the bar appeared to have no plans of moving, so at least now Mason had something new to stare at. They also made Mason’s decision a little easier. He’d stay a while. He waved down the bartender and ordered another drink.

He was about halfway into it when one of the four guys got up and went to the bathroom. Another appeared ready to join him, but instead found his way over to Mr. Military, sitting all by his lonesome. Mason’s heart sped up. The guy planned to make a move, and for reasons he couldn’t fathom, Mason had missed the chance. Not able to hear what they were saying, Mason watched with sadness in his heart. Two down, three to go—if he decided to go for it. The first one came out of the bathroom. Instead of joining his friends at the bar, he headed to the table to join his friend currently with the military man. It just keeps getting better. Mason’s imagination went wild. Bet those guys are going to have a three way. Yeah. My luck, the other two will join in as well.