Building Heat

by K. Sterling

  “Ok. You have to get out.” He whispered tightly. Avery’s head snapped up and he stopped breathing.

  “What?” He choked. Was Mason telling him to leave?

  “My ass. Can you pull out?” His voice was strained and weak. Avery almost laughed. He carefully slid out and Mason whimpered. “Shit. Ow!” He complained as he tried to stand up. His legs gave out and he started to slide to the floor. Avery caught him under his arms and pulled him back against his chest.

  “I tried to warn you.” Avery said as he leaned on the counter behind him. Mason shook his head.

  “It was good. Look.” He said as he nodded in front of him. Avery looked over Mason’s shoulder and his mouth fell open as he stared at the mess that coated the front of the cabinet and dripped into a thick puddle on the floor. “I won’t be able to sit on my ass for the rest of the weekend but it was totally worth it. I think I actually saw the inside of my brain and heard angels singing.” Mason said as he reached back and cupped Avery’s cheek. Avery snorted.

  “You hear angels and I get to clean up the mess.” He teased as he bit Mason’s neck playfully. Mason shrugged.

  “You like cleaning.” He said. “At least we’re in my apartment. I’m pretty sure you’d be in fetal position if we were in your kitchen.” Avery shook his head.

  “If we were in my apartment I could lick the floors clean.” He whispered against Mason’s skin. Mason swatted Avery’s thigh.

  “Don’t get me hard right now. Everything below my belly button hurts.” He let his head fall back against Avery’s shoulder. “Help me to the couch?” He asked and Avery shook his head.

  “No. The bedroom.” He said as he started walking backwards, pulling Mason along with him through the kitchen. “I’ll get you some pain reliever before I clean up your mess.” He said. Mason tapped his arm when they entered the hallway.

  “Actually, can we take a detour to the bathroom?” He looked over his shoulder and Avery raised a brow. “Your mess.” Mason whispered. Avery cringed and nodded.

  After Mason was gently wiped down and deposited in the bed, given Tylenol and his phone to entertain him, Avery went into the kitchen and cleaned the broken mug, the spilled coffee and the puddle of Mason. He found some fruit salad and yogurt in the fridge and carried it back to the bedroom.

  “Tell me about this house.” Mason said as Avery fed him. Avery smiled broadly.

  “It’s all right on the inside, expect for the kitchen.” He said and Mason frowned.

  “You fell in love with ‘all right’ and had to hurry and buy it?” He asked in disbelief. Avery nodded.

  “The kitchen is amazing. Its perfect for you. But it’s the outside that sold me. The location is spectacular and the previous owners did a phenomenal job in the back. The outdoor kitchen is almost as impressive as the indoor kitchen. There’s a fire pit, lots of seating areas, an infinity pool and decking that practically wraps around the house and leads down to the beach. There’s a huge garden with lots of herbs for you to cook with.” Avery watched Mason, holding his breath as he waited.

  “That does sound perfect. Mostly. We have to live in the house. If the rest of the house isn’t right…” He looked at Avery pointedly. Avery shrugged.

  “You can do whatever you want with the inside. I’ve already got a line on a good contractor. Tear the whole thing down and start from scratch, if you want. Or, look at it as a fixer upper.” Avery said. Mason narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.

  “How much did this ‘fixer upper’ cost?” He asked. Avery quickly shoved a piece of pineapple into his mouth and chewed slowly. Mason squeezed Avery’s nose shut. “How much?” He insisted. Avery opened his mouth and pulled in a breath and chewed more before he swallowed.

  “Twenty-five.” Avery mumbled softly. Mason released Avery and tried to sit up before he remembered how sore he was. He fell onto his elbows and his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally made words.

  “That’s more than double our budget, Avery! And we haven’t looked at what remodeling will cost.” Mason groaned as he let his head fall and buried his face in the bedding. Avery sifted his fingers through Mason’s hair.

  “It’s the right house, I don’t care what it costs. Our weekends are precious to me, that’s when we can shut out the world and just be together. Now, we have the perfect place to escape. And when we have children, we’ll have plenty of room and they’ll have an amazing time there.” Avery kissed Mason’s shoulder. “I think Jeff was right about knocking down the wall between our places. It’s kind of silly not to and it may pay off the house in South Hampton when we retire.” He said softly. Mason lifted his head and looked at Avery.

  “You got a mortgage on the house?” He asked incredulously. Avery thought about lying but he’d made his position on the longterm cost of financing pretty clear.

  “No. I didn’t.” He admitted and Mason dropped his head again. “I was trying to cheer you up with the idea of selling the apartments for a huge profit.” Mason shook his head.

  “I’m not sad. It’s just really extravagant, Avery. And I wanted us to be equals in this. It felt like a normal relationship step until you went and dropped twenty-five million on a house that I haven’t even seen that needs work. It doesn't feel like a long term commitment. It feels like I’m your boy toy and you don’t think I can carry my own weight.” Mason explained. Avery rolled his eyes as he turned Mason onto his side. He slid in closer until they were nose to nose and chest to chest.

  “Stop fixating on the money, Mason. I fell in love with the place because I could picture you there and happy and that’s all I want my life to be about. No one is going to mistake you for a boy toy. You’re kind of a big deal.” He stopped Mason from pulling a face with a glare. “So what if I make more money? It’s not because I do anything more important. You worked really hard to get where you’re at and you’re loved and respected. And you do pretty well in the salary department.” He watched Mason shrug and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I have a lot of money in the bank. But you know, I never cared about it. I was a sad, lonely robot before you and I never had anything planned for it. I had no dreams to fulfill. Now, I’m truly wealthy. I have you and I have Darcy. And one day, we’ll have children and we’ll sing campfire songs and roast hotdogs in the fire pit and the girls will chase Darcy on the beach. That’s worth so much more than what I spent on that house.” Avery watched Mason struggle to hold in a smile. Avery teased Mason’s lips until it broke free.

  “Do you know any campfire songs?” Mason asked as he brushed his lips against Avery’s. He stared for a moment before he started to laugh.

  “No! I don’t!” Avery admitted. “Do you?” He laughed again when Mason shook his head.

  “I never went to camp. We went camping a few times but we never sang songs.” Mason said and Avery pursed his lips for a moment.

  “I’m sure we can Google it. There has to be YouTube videos. If not, we’ll just make up our own.” He decided. Mason smiled as he kissed Avery.

  “You’re right. It’s going to be perfect.” He whispered.

  Chapter 33

  “Why am I not surprised?” Mason asked as Avery parked the car in front of a sprawling contemporary home. For some reason, Avery made Mason wait almost a month before bringing him to see their new house. The anticipation almost killed him. Mason started to worry that the house was a wreck or that Avery was having second thoughts. Not about them, but rushing into buying a house. On top of that, Avery had been acting strange the last few days. “Is that a Jaffe?” He asked incredulously. Avery’s eyes swept up and he shrugged.

  “I think so. Is that good?” Avery asked as he opened his door. Mason nodded his head as he got out.

  “Yeah, that’s good.” Mason said as Avery jogged around the car and reached for Mason’s hand.

  “Good.” He said as he tugged, pulling Mason along with him as he ran up the steps toward the front door. Avery unlocked it quickly
and pushed Mason over the threshold. Mason blinked rapidly as he looked around.

  “This is not a fixer-upper.” He whispered in awe as he took in the original redwood paneling and stonework. Avery shrugged again as he pulled Mason toward the open kitchen.

  “Fine. Gut the whole thing, I don’t care. But you have to check out the kitchen!” He said excitedly. Mason shook his head wildly.

  “No! I don’t want to gut this, it’s great!” He insisted and Avery smiled over his shoulder.

  “Oh, good. I thought it would be too modern and simple.” He said as he gestured toward the kitchen. Mason knew he looked like an idiot. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes could have fallen out of his head.

  “Woah.” He squeezed Avery’s hand, needing it for support. “That range has wi-fi, Avery. It costs more than some people spend on a car.” Mason reeled as he let Avery lead him around a granite topped island that might have been as big as his bedroom in the city. Everything was state of the art and had never been used. This wasn’t Mason's dream kitchen. This was the kitchen he would have sold his soul for.

  “So… You like it?” Avery asked as he came up behind Mason and wrapped his arms around his chest. Mason nodded as his eyes tried to calculate the square footage of the kitchen. It made his apartment kitchen look like a shoebox.

  “I love it.” Mason breathed as he reached over his shoulder and slid his hand into Avery’s hair.

  “There’s plenty of room for you to dance while you cook.” He murmured against Mason’s cheek. Mason laughed.

  “There’s enough room to dance on the counters.” He replied. Avery chuckled as he turned Mason.

  “You know you’ll have to, now.” He teased. “Let’s see the rest of the house.” Avery said as he pushed Mason into the open dining and living room area. Mason shrugged.

  “I don’t need to see anything else. Its perfect.” He announced. Avery laughed as he guided Mason into the hall that led toward the master bedroom.

  “Humor me. We need to get an idea of what work needs to be done. Jeff’s fiancé said he can get started as soon as we’re ready.” Avery pushed the bedroom door open and let Mason pass through. Mason nodded as he looked around.

  “What’s on the other side of that closet and the bathroom?” He asked as he pointed across the room. Avery leaned out the door and looked down the hall.

  “A smaller bedroom or office.” He said. Mason looked thoughtful as he looked at the closet and bathroom.

  “We’ll push through. Make the bathroom bigger and give you your big ass closet.” Mason said as he walked into the bathroom. Avery followed and nodded as he looked around. Mason turned and winked. “We’ll go all white and glass.” He said and Avery shook his head.

  “It doesn’t have to be just like my bathroom.” He stated as he offered his lips when Mason pulled him close and leaned forward. Mason smiled against Avery’s mouth.

  “It won’t be, it’ll have the biggest bath tub I can find.” He whispered and Avery rolled his eyes.

  “Fine. Whatever you want. I don’t want you to worry about the cost of any of this. I want everything to be perfect.” Avery insisted and Mason nodded.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.” He grabbed Avery’s hand and led him back into the hall. “I’m paying for the remodeling and I don’t plan to spare any expense.” Mason announced as they crossed the living room and went through to the other hallway. He glared over his shoulder, daring Avery to argue. Avery held his hands up in surrender.

  “That’s fair.” He admitted then pointed to the two bedrooms on the left side of the hall. “I was thinking we could combine those for the girls.” He said and Mason grinned as he stepped into the first room.

  “I saw a picture of a built-in bunk bed that looked like a castle with a slide, faux turrets and frilly pink curtains. We should totally do that.” Mason said as he imagined it and mountains of stuffed animals. Avery’s brows pulled together.

  “Turrets?” He asked as he raised Mason’s hand to his lips. Mason’s lips curved.

  “The pointy things on castles. We’ll have flags with unicorns. Princesses love unicorns.” He managed to keep from laughing when Avery nodded absently.

  “You’re probably right.” He murmured before he shrugged and towed Mason from the room and gestured down the hall. “More bedrooms, you get the idea. Come and see the back.” Avery said as he pulled Mason through the house quickly. Mason laughed as he jogged to keep up. Avery slid a floor to ceiling glass door open and stepped aside so Mason could walk out. Mason gasped as he got a full view of the back patio and the ocean.

  “This is unbelievable!” He threw his arms around Avery and squeezed his eyes shut to keep from crying. “It’s so perfect, Avery!” Mason said before he found Avery’s lips and kissed him thoroughly. When he lifted his head Avery was grinning and his eyes looked heavy.

  “That alone was worth the price of the house.” He whispered as he ran his thumb along Mason’s lower lip. Mason’s eyes flashed as his tongue slid between his lips and flicked Avery’s thumb.

  “That was for the view. Wait and see how I plan to thank you for the kitchen.” Mason murmured as he pushed Avery back through the door. “In fact, I think its time we celebrated.” He said as he guided him into the kitchen. Avery groaned when Mason slid the button of his trousers free pulled at the zipper.

  “What did you have in mind?” He asked as he licked his lips. Mason growled as he backed Avery against a counter.

  “I’m about to make a meal out of you.”

  Chapter 34

  Mason sighed as Avery parked the car in the garage of their apartment building. He hadn’t wanted to leave their house before sunset and return to the city so early but Avery had insisted. Mason had performed what he was sure was the best blow job he’d ever given before he and Avery explored the back yard and the beach for just about an hour. Despite his protests, Avery pushed Mason into the car and drove him to a cozy brasserie for a ridiculously early dinner. They shared a charcuterie platter and Mason was impressed by the truffled chicken. Avery ordered duck with cherries, obviously, and wouldn’t share his white chocolate cheesecake. After, Mason tried to get Avery to hangout and do a little sightseeing but he refused.

  “It’s not even 9:00. Are we practicing for our golden years?” Mason teased as they stepped into the elevator. Avery pulled Mason into his arms and kissed him tenderly. Mason frowned as Avery raised his head. “Are you shaking?” He asked as he pressed his lips to Avery’s forehead to check for a fever.

  “Maybe. It’s a little chilly in here.” Avery said as the elevator doors opened. Mason’s brows pulled together and he looked at Avery out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the hall.

  “Seriously. I’m going to get you a cardigan and blanket for your lap.” Mason teased. He was pulling the keys out of his pocket and paused in front of his door. “Did I leave the music on?” He asked as he turned to Avery.

  “No.” Avery said as he turned the handle and pushed the door open. Mason could only stare in shock. Everyone was in his apartment. Everyone. And they were having a party. Mason looked over at Avery, confused and suddenly nervous.

  “Avery? What’s going on?” He asked as he felt Avery’s hand at the middle of his back pushing gently. Mason’s heart started slamming against his ribs as his eyes swept over the faces staring at him. Just about everyone from his office, most of Avery’s firm, Marla, Dr. Dave, Nancy, Wilson, Jeff, Jeff’s fiancé, Audrey, 12A… Mason’s eyes went wide. “Dad?” He gasped when he spotted his parents standing with Avery’s parents. “What are you doing here?” Mason whispered. His dad’s eyes were full of tears and he was smiling. He cocked his head, gesturing for Mason to turn around. Mason slowly turned to find Avery staring at him intently. Mason felt a little lightheaded. And really surprised. He turned back around. “Dad?” Mason could’t believe that his dad was there, with everyone else, in his apartment. His eyes searched his father’s face for an expla
nation but found none. He saw Marla and Nancy clinging to each other and decided they were no help.

  “Turn around, son.” His dad whispered. Mason nodded jerkily and turned. Avery was gone. He frowned then realized Avery was kneeling before him. Oh, shit, Mason thought as he lost all the feeling in his body. He could tell he was shaking but he couldn’t feel it.

  “Avery?” Mason’s mouth formed his name but there was no sound. Avery’s eyes were large as he pulled a navy blue Graff ring box from his pocket. Mason decided it wasn’t fair; Avery was safely on the floor while it seemed very likely that Mason’s legs were going to give out at any moment, or he’d just topple over. He’d probably crack his head on the table and make a complete ass of himself. Avery cleared his throat softly as he opened the box and tears started pouring from Mason’s eyes. It was like someone had turned on a faucet.

  “I love you, Mason.” Avery’s voice wavered but was deep and warm. Mason felt every word. “I’ve waited my whole life for you and all I want is to spend every day making you as happy as you have made me. Marry me.” His chest rose and locked as he held his breath.

  Yes! Mason’s brain screamed but it wasn’t making it to his lips, they just kept opening and closing. He gave up and just nodded frantically as tears continued to stream down his face. Avery jumped to his feet and pulled Mason into his arms and started laughing and crying. Then, the room erupted in cheers, whistles and clapping. Mason buried his face in the corner of Avery’s neck and sobbed until Avery pulled back and reached for Mason’s hand. It shook like a leaf as Avery slid a thick, rose gold eternity band with channel set diamonds over Mason’s ring finger. Mason stared for several moments, completely mesmerized by the site.

  “Mason?” Avery’s voice snatched Mason from his trance. He looked at Avery and there were no words. He couldn’t think of anything to express how much he felt. In the end, he said the only thing he could.

  “I love you so much, Avery!” Mason gathered Avery’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply, reverently spilling his entire soul into Avery’s mouth.