He checked his phone to see if he was running late—still plenty of time to get downstairs—and saw notice thatanotherpackage had been delivered. Plus a texted picture from Krissy showing the growing stack of such packages she’d left on his desk…and office chair…and the floor around it. Obviously she’d spread them out to drive home the point, but there were alotof model kits there, waiting to be put together.
And I have at least three more on order. What was the line between a hobby and a problem?
He shot Krissy a text in return, a laughing-crying face plus hands praying for forgiveness, then pocketed his phone and headed for the elevator to meet up with Aras.
Meet up a lot sooner than he’d expected. Aras was standing at the bank of elevators, wearing that same red corduroy jacket from earlier, plus pale jeans. He was facing away, so Dane let his eyes drink in every inch. Dark curls on top of his head, the jacket clinging to his shoulders and back and arms, the denim cupping his ass and showing off an impressive set of thighs.
Once he’d taken his fill—and also taken a moment to will his swelling dick back under control—Dane cleared his throat. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Aras turned, and the left corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Absolutely unexpected.” Then the elevator in front of him opened up with a ding and he walked forward, holding the door behind him.
Dane scurried in and, when the doors slid shut, they were alone. Dane took a breath to still himself and start talking, but the smell of roses and vanilla and some other floral something filled his nose. It knocked all his thoughts and self-control aside. “What shampoo do you use?”
Aras looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Odd way to present your design idea.”
Shit. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I was trying to say. I mean, it was, but I wasn’t using my brain.”
“I’m kidding.” He shook his head. “We don’t need to jump straight into business. But I’ve just been using the hotel’s shampoo. Why?”
He wasn’t annoyed, so that was good, but Dane was still kicking himself for letting his self-control slip so quickly, and so completely. “I just…something in here smells nice. I thought it was you. But maybe not. Not that you smell bad, I’m sure.” Good thing this was totallynota date, otherwise Dane would have been fucking it up completely. “Could you just shoot me and put out of my misery at this point?”
“I believe that’s a crime.” The elevator doors opened and Aras gestured him out. Once they were both in the lobby, having traded out the elevator with a family of four who looked absolutely exhausted, Aras picked back up. “Did it smell like roses?”
It took Dane a moment, but he nodded. “Yeah.”
“Cologne. Perfume. Whatever you want to call it.” He drew the back of his wrist under his nose. “Roses and white tea and oak. According to the back of the bottle. I only ever get roses off it.” A smile pulled at his face, this time even on both sides, and light gleamed in his eyes as he looked down at Dane. “You like how I smell? Do I need to be worried that I’m corrupting your virginal soul, all for the sake of this job?”
Dane snorted a laugh. “Virginal. Right. Not since I was fifteen.”
“Well good. Because I’m not great at keeping my words in check.” Aras gestured toward the door. “We going out, staying here? I’m ready for whatever.”
“You’re ready for whatever and you’re worried about my virginity? Maybe I should be worried.”
Aras rolled his eyes. “Right. I was thinking we could bang at the front desk, but I’d be open to hooking up on the nearest roundabout if you’d rather.”
At that, Dane’s eyes narrowed and his brain began to steam and chug, trying to piece things together. Aras had a provocative way of speaking. That had been clear since the first day they’d started filming. But was he acting more sexual than usual, or was Dane hearing what he wanted?Have to keep my eyes open.“We could talk here. Then, if I piss you off, you’ll have access to the bar.”
Aras slapped a hand to his chest. “I think you’re the only person on this production who understands my needs.”
Chapter ten
Aras
Theyfoundacornerof the lobby with a couple chairs, and no one else hanging around. Which was good news for Aras, since if he didn’t sit, he was liable to collapse. All the blood in his body was rushing downstairs, and every second he looked at Dane was another gallon drained from all his extremities. It wasn’t as if he’d never noticed Dane before. Far from it. But on the job site, he was usually in a baggy sweater and cargo pants. The black denim wrapping his hips was a hell of a change, and those jeanshuggedhis curves. His shirt seemed about two sizes too small. Every time he moved his torso even atouchmore than average, Aras was greeted with a flash of pale belly, or the small of his back.
Plus he likes how I smell.
Once seated, it was a bit easier to focus. In part because Dane wasn’t on such full display. “Were you hoping for drinks and snacks instead? I’m sure there’s a wine bar or something in a city the size of Baltimore.”
“Probably more than one.” Dane shook his head. “This is fine, though. Unless you’re hungry.”
Aras also shook his head. “Works for me.” The last thing Aras’s self control needed was to get doused in wine. “So what was the idea you had?”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know anything about what you’re thinking, obviously. But I have my collection displayed, and I thought maybe I could offer some guidance or suggestions? Although you collect carnival glass too, so I guess you already know how to do all that.”
He did, and Aras knew that if anyone else even suggested that he didn’t, he would have gone off on them. Dane…disarmed him.Cute twinks do that. Which Aras knew wasn’t entirely true. He’d bitten the heads off plenty of cute twinks before.Maybe just Dane does that. “I’m all ears. Don’t learn if you don’t hear ideas.” Aras dug into his phone and navigated to his gallery, then down, past the gobs of pictures from the various jobs, the saved screenshots, and a handful of dick pics he’d snapped when he was desperate and trying to set up a hookup, until he finally got to the long string of carnival glass pics. He opened the most complete image, then handed it over. “That’s my starting point, but I don’t have anything set in stone.”
Dane took it and, for some stupid reason, a pang of panic rippled through Aras’s belly. It took him a few seconds of introspection to touch on why: Dane could think it was stupid, and Aras hated the thought something could darken what felt like a bright, burning fire between the two of them.
