Page 18 of Trapped for Christmas

Mason smiled. He wouldn’t be doing that. Charlie was a very determined young man when he wanted something, and Sebastian would give him anything he asked for. He felt himself getting choked up and was pulled into a hug by Sebastian. Mason had no say in the matter. Maybe he could get on board with the hugging thing; it was comforting.

After ten minutes, the doctor came out. Hunter was with Zeb.

“I’ve cleaned his wounds. Nothing too deep. His arm needed a couple of stitches. The head wound doesn’t appear to have caused his passing out. That was likely because of the stress of whatever situation he was in. He had scrape marks down his body, and there’s some brick residue on his clothes, so my guess is he scaled down a wall and may have stumbled and fallen at the end. I’m not sure where the cut on his arm came from, but it looks like it was caused by a sharp blunt tool, rather than a knife.”

“Does he need to go to the hospital?” asked Mason.

“No, but he shouldn’t be alone tonight. Is there somewhere he can stay?”

“He can stay with us,” said Deacon, knowing that’s what Hunter would want.

“He’ll be staying with me,” said Mason, in a tone that made it clear the decision was made.

Mason wasn’t letting Zeb out of his sight until he knew he was safe. He’d said Kaden was away until Saturday, so why did Zeb look like he’d had to fight his way out of something. Mason would find out, but not tonight. He needed to get Zeb back to his, and get him cleaned up and safe, so he could rest. They could talk tomorrow.

The doctor passed over a prescription for painkillers and antibiotics in case any of his wounds became infected. Sebastian said he’d deal with it and escorted the doctor out after Mason had thanked her. He opened the door to the first-aid room and saw Zeb and Hunter in deep conversation, so he went to step back.

“Mason,” said Zeb, his voice cracking with emotion. “Please don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re going to come and stay with me. I’ll look after you.”

“But Hunter said I was going to his.”

“Hunter’s running the service tomorrow, so he won’t be able to stay with you. I’ll be looking after you. It’s not up for discussion.”

They both looked at him with their mouths open. Yes, Zeb was more important than him being here for service, and yes, he was being a possessive asshole, but seeing Zeb like that . . . there was no way he was letting him out of his sight ever again. He knew Hunter wouldn’t argue with him, and he could be trusted to deal with anything that happened at the restaurant. The man had an amazing talent for food, and Mason would not be surprised if he got his first Michelin star before he was thirty.

With that all decided, he left the two friends to talk as he went to explain to his guests that he’d be leaving. They would understand, and he trusted his staff to close up for him. There was no reason they couldn’t enjoy the rest of the evening. Once that was done, he’d arrange a car to take them back to his. He could pick up his own car later. Mason hadn’t drunk anything, but he was too wound up to drive. It was obvious Kaden was behind whatever had happened, but dealing with him could wait until tomorrow. Right now, Mason’s priority was Zeb.

Mason had barely slept. Every noise had woken him up, worried that Zeb would need him. Now it was eight o’clock in the morning, and Zeb was still fast asleep. Mason had looked in on him, and he was tucked up, looking peaceful. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from watching him for a while. The man was stunningly beautiful, even covered in cuts and bruises. Mason needed to know what had happened, but he’d let Zeb talk to him when he was ready. Simmons was ready to take a statement if Zeb wanted to press charges. First, they needed the guy’s address so Mason could pay him a visit himself. He was sure the others would accompany him. Most of them had confirmed that when he’d said goodbye last night.

Not wanting to sit around doing nothing, he headed for the kitchen. People weren’t surprised to see that his kitchen at home was top of the range, with everything one could wish for. But they were surprised that he was happy to come home after working fourteen hours in the restaurant and still want to cook. He would prep his meals at the weekend, and he mostly ate at the restaurant, but he always had stuff at home that was easy to grab. Today, he wanted to use cooking to occupy his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking of the worst whenever he looked at Zeb, and that wasn’t a good headspace to be in for either of them.

Zeb’s prescription had been delivered within twenty minutes of them getting home last night. How Sebastian had managed that on Thanksgiving was a mystery, but there was nothing that man couldn’t do. The only exception had been the PI he’d hired to find Zeb. Mason had only caught part of Sebastian’s phone conversation with the guy, but it was enough to know he wouldn’t be used again. Mason wouldn’t be surprised if Sebastian ruined the guy’s business. He’d rarely seen his friend that angry. Sebastian had planned to head back to London today, but had said they would stick around in case he was needed instead. Mason suspected that was partly down to Charlie. He wouldn’t want to leave until he’d put eyes on Zeb. He often acted like a big brother to him and Hunter, which Mason knew they appreciated.

Zeb loved bread, so that’s what Mason would do. He could do some eggs with it when he got up, but homemade bread would make him happy. Zeb was always hanging around the kitchen trying to get some, especially when it was fresh in the morning. Mason got out everything he needed and made the dough. Kneading it was therapeutic, and he could easily have taken his frustration out on it, but he was making this for Zeb, so it had to be perfect. Once he had the dough ready, he put it in the proofing drawer and set the temperature to eighty-five, which should mean it’d be ready for shaping in an hour.

He didn’t want to risk Zeb waking up and him not being around, but he needed a shower. Mason checked on him and saw he was still fast asleep. He had a frown on his face now, which still made him look cute. He was all wrapped up in the comforter. Mason closed the door gently and headed for the shower. He’d make it a quick one, and then he would get some sweet treats ready for Zeb as well.

It was ten o’clock before Zeb woke up. The bread was baked and cooling on the rack, and he’d made some cupcakes as well. They just needed to be iced. The eggs were ready to cook, and he might have made some pancake batter as well.

“What’s all this?” asked Zeb.

“I thought you’d be hungry.”

“Are other people coming around?”

“No, it’s just us, unless you want to see people.”

“Are you expecting me to eat all this?”

Mason wanted to say “yes,” but held off. He’d noticed that Zeb had lost weight since he’d last seen him. Not a lot, but probably ten or fifteen pounds at a guess. What the fuck had that guy done to him?

“How did you sleep?” asked Mason.

“It was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had. I can’t believe I slept for twelve hours.”

“You must have needed it.”