“So what handsome rogue swept you off your feet?”
“I…don’t have permission. I’m not going to kiss and tell. Sorry.”
“Eh, I’ll figure it out. Now that I know there’s something to figure out.” Ozzy took half a step away, then moved back, and his expression hardened a little. “I’m not trying to be a buzzkill, but you’re good on this one, right?”
It was a vague statement, but Mason followed it just fine. Three separate times, Mason had found himself a boyfriend, gotten invested…and then the guy left him. One of them only told him he was turned off by Mason to his face, but the othertwo had shared pictures of him online. Nothing salacious, but with captions and comments that made it clear it was everything from his appearance to his anxiety to his ‘stupid interior design bullshit.’ It was as if nothing about Mason was good in their eyes.
“Am I the best judge of whether or not I’m good?” Hehadgotten into those relationships on his own, after all.
Ozzy rested both hands on Mason’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “You’ve been burned, and I don’t want you getting burned again. But the fact you’ve been through it means that yeah, you’re a great judge on this. If you’ve got doubts, don’t ignore them.”
Doubts.Mason had plenty of doubts. He doubted that he was worth the relationship. He doubted that it would last into their eighties. He doubted his own ability to do this job.
“No doubts in my mind: he’s a good one.”
Ozzy smiled, and it was one of those rare moments when he was truly warm and friendly. He patted both of Mason’s shoulders a couple times…then marched around him. “Hey, come on, what the fuck? You born with your head up your ass or was it purely an aesthetic choice?”
Oh, that was a good one.Mason made a note to check in with Ozzy and see how he was doing. Ozzy was rarely the vision of level-headed optimism, but when he started getting too salty, especially with anyone outside of the crew proper, Mason tried to make a point of stepping in. Sometimes it just pissed Ozzy off, but usually, if there was something going on, Mason could calm the waters enough that he was tolerable again.
Even if he did appreciate a well-crafted insult.
Chapter twenty-seven
David
“Ican’tbelievehowefficientyou all are.” A week. It had been a week since they’d hooked up, with no sign that they were going to immediately go at it again, and David still found himself gravitating toward Mason. David was more than a little impressed…and surprised. He knew himself at least a little bit, so he knew that sticking around with Mason wasn’t a given. Obviously, he thought Mason was hot. Obviously, he still wanted a chance to paint Mason but hadn’t gotten up the nerve to ask him. Obviously, he liked spending time with Mason, since they were on a brief pause in the day’s work, and rather than going literally anywhere else, he stuck himself to Mason’s side to have some coffee.
And Mason didn’t get annoyed with him, either. He’d been at his computer, typing away and checking something on his screen against a notebook, but as soon as David had set downa coffee cup next to him, Mason smiled at him. And now they were in conversation, with Mason leaning back in his chair and sipping coffee while the work day bustled around them.
“We’ve done this a few times.” Mason sipped his coffee, but his eyes were on a near constant swivel, taking in anything and everything that could be going on. That seemed to be his normal state of being during a job, at least as far as David had seen. That didn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention to David. Every time, his gaze landed back on David, and a slight smile pulled at his mouth. “You happy with everything? We’re closing in on the point of no return, so if you want to make any changes, now’s the time.”
“No. I think it’s all in order.” He gestured toward the second bedroom, where a couple of workers were hauling out bags of trash. “You should weigh in there more than me. You’re the only one I’d be inviting to come to stay.”
“Oh, I don’t get to sleep inyourbed?” Mason kept his voice low, but his tone was playful all the same. “I’m offended.”
“What if I piss you off?”
“Don’t piss me off.” He takes a heavy swig from his coffee, then raises his voice back up to normal. “It’s going to see more use as your studio than any guest room anyway, so are you good with it? We can take a swing through and check on everything.”
“It’ll be fine.” It seemed like a good opportunity to change the subject and finally ask the question he’d been holding back. He did a quick check to make sure there was no one else around. Then he sidled up closer and leaned his hip against the edge of the table. “Maybe we can make use of both parts of the room.”
Mason’s smile widened. “If you’re asking if I want to fool around in every room of your condo, the answer’s yes.”
“Well…good to know.” It was, if for no other reason than it meant Mason wasn’t done with him just yet. “But I’ve actually been thinking about something. Since the other night. I waswatching you…finish. You’ve seen the paintings I had in my bedroom.”
Mason nodded, sucking his lips in as pink brushed the tops of his ears. “I did, yeah.”
“Well, I was hoping you’d be willing to sit for a painting.”
Mason nodded and his gaze grew distant for an instant.
Then they sharpened back up as one eyebrow arched up. “What about your sketchbook? Did you finish it?”
He’d put that down as soon as he’d actually gotten a good drawing of Mason. “Not yet. Inspiration can be a fickle friend.”
Mason’s smile returned and he shook his head. “I expected that.” He curled his index finger, beckoning David to come closer. Then he moved windows around on his laptop, pulling up…a calendar. A busy, very well-organized calendar because of course it was, and with a big red square taking up the date a week from now. There was only one line item there: David Condo Wrap-Up
Mason typed on that box, adding a new line and a new bullet point. “I’ll make you a deal.” He didn’t look up, watching his screen as he typed and spoke. “I want that sketchbook done, inspired or not. You do that and I will pose however you want me to for one of your dirty little paintings.”
