Page 10 of Developing Hearts (Pine Point Fixer-Uppers #5)

Chapter ten

David

In the end, David had to say he was impressed with the results of the weird design program. It had been fun to go through and think about design elements, but he hadn’t exactly had high hopes for what it would spit out at the end of everything.

The collage had lots of jewel tones, all on a black background.

Pictures of rooms with shafts of light falling on plush textures like faux fur and velvet.

Highly polished wood in warm tones keeping the whole thing from feeling too unnatural or too cold and distant.

Only tasteful touches of gold and very little other metal.

Each of the individual elements was housed in a heptagonal frame, which David was particularly pleased with.

It was a tiny touch, but using a seven-sided figure instead of a regular hexagon made the whole thing feel just a touch livelier, a smidgen less conventional.

David longed to live somewhere unconventional.

That was not the only source of pleasure, though.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Mason had agreed to be sketched.

David honestly thought he was getting rebuffed, but apparently something had clicked into place.

He knew enough to not question it, and he knew to strike while the iron was hot.

Once they finished their meeting and Ozzy and Evander had left, huddled together looking at Evander’s phone and apparently discussing the job, David stopped. “So, are you busy?”

Mason straightened up. “Not really. We’re in a bit of a holding pattern right now until everything can get closed back up at the condo.

I think the estimate is three days? Assuming they don’t find anything scarier than expected.

Although I’m sure Evander’s going to have about twelve-dozen things he wants me to order by tomorrow morning. ”

“But you’re free now? I could try to draw you properly?”

Mason’s eyes widened. His cheeks dusted pink, but he nodded. “I guess I should have seen that one coming. Do you mind if I change into something a little nicer than this?”

David waved that away. “You don’t need to.” He gestured to the door with the corner of his sketch book. “I’ll treat you to dinner after.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

Mason turned away at that. Ostensibly, he was stuffing his laptop back in the bag and checking over the room to make sure nothing had been left.

Completely reasonable. But David didn’t miss the subtext.

A suggestion of dinner and Mason had distanced himself.

It could have been an attempt at holding professional boundaries, if they hadn’t already crossed those when he agreed to model for David.

David had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was up, but that was not a topic for him to broach.

He had a thing for Mason, no doubt about that.

There was something about him that captured David’s attention, and he knew himself well enough to realize it wasn’t purely an artistic pursuit.

None of that made bringing up more serious topics a good idea.

Once Mason finally turned back around, David held open the door for him. “Your place or mine?”

“No offense, but I’d really rather get my computer and everything tucked back away as soon as I can.”

“Scandalous, inviting me up to your hotel room.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “You’re as bad as my crew, aren’t you?” He headed out the door, flicking off the light switch as he passed. “Come on.”

They headed out into the lobby. Mason stopped by the front desk to hand over the key card for the meeting room, and then they jumped into the elevator.

David was doing his level best to keep himself composed, but it was only the two of them, and with the mirror at the back of the carriage, he was filling his senses up with Mason.

His cologne, his brazen hair, the way his jeans cupped his ass, the way his chest filled out his shirt.

All of it, constantly, and now they were heading up to Mason’s hotel room.

For innocent reasons, sure, but up to his hotel room nonetheless.

The door opened and, as Mason led him down the hallway of the seventh floor, they were getting closer and closer to David’s hotel room. Of course they would be relatively close. Homescapes would have reserved a block of hotel rooms for the job to get some kind of discount.

When Mason stopped, a laugh slipped out of David’s mouth. “Shit, we’re neighbors.” He pointed to the room not right next door, but on the opposite side of the hall, one door down.

“Well then I don’t have to worry about you getting lost on the way home.” He unlocked his room with the card and stepped inside, then held it open.

David walked in and, unsurprisingly, was met with an almost exact copy of his own hotel room.

The only difference, other than the view being considerably worse in Mason’s room, was the suitcases at the foot of the bed.

They were a matching trio of steel blue, hard-sided cases, lined up from smallest to largest. They wouldn’t have struck David’s attention all that much, except for the fact that they looked brand new.

“You’ve been traveling around for how long, now? ”

Mason raised one eyebrow at him as he plugged in his laptop. “I guess…about four months? Two weeks per job, plus a little travel-time between each stop.”

“What secret magic have you used on your suitcases to keep them looking this nice?”

It was apparently Mason’s turn to laugh, then stop himself.

He shook his head, and his reddening cheeks were clearly not from embarrassment this time.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing at you.

It’s just not what I expected anyone to notice.

” He was still chuckling when he tucked his messenger bag into the space between the dresser and the desk, fitting it in almost like it was somehow designed to fit his specific bag perfectly.

“When we got the signing bonus for the show, I sprung for some better luggage. Knew we’d be flying around, so I wanted some stuff that was extra durable.

” He walked over and rapped on the side of the largest case and it sounded like knocking on a protective suit of armor.

“Have to pack a touch lighter to avoid weight fees, but they were worth it. And they don’t scuff. ”

David nodded. “They should give you a commission. You’re talking me into buying them.”

“I’ll let them know.” Then Mason’s body seemed to turn in on itself and David’s tension spiked. Had something gone wrong? Had that somehow been the wrong way to go about the conversation?

Before he could try to redirect or ask if everything was fine, Mason spoke up again. “So, how do I do this?” Again, he patted his midsection. “You might have guessed, I don’t exactly have an extensive modeling career to draw on.”