Maple’s eyebrows rose, but she didn’t say a word as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
“Fine. What’s the number so I can call when I know what’s wrong with it?”
“What’s your number?” he asked, glad to get the information for himself.
She rattled off the number. “Tell him not to do anything until I know if I can afford it,” she hurried to add after he’d repeated the digits for his brother.
“Call with the estimate once you know.”
“I assume I’m doing the work regardless?” Emmet asked on the other end.
“Absolutely. Thanks, bro,” he said then hung up.
“I’m going to owe everyone in town by the time I leave,” she said in a rush.
“Don’t worry about it. Emmet’s my brother. He won’t charge you for the labor, and he can probably get most of the parts off the old vehicles in the yard. Now, let’s get this old fridge out of here before your food spoils,” he added before she could protest.
Seven
Maple fanned her cheeks against the heat rolling off her that had nothing to do with the sun beating down on them. The man was gorgeous. Hotter than any summer day, that was for sure. By the time Jaxon had removed the old fridge from the cabin and unloaded the new one, his T-shirt was plastered to his chest and back. He grabbed the bottom and wiped the sweat from his brow, revealing hard abs that contracted with his movements and a delicious V that disappeared in the waistband of his low-riding jeans. Yep, she wanted to lick him. All over. Twice. Who was she kidding? More than twice.
“It’s such a warm day. You know, I won’t be offended if you want to take that shirt off,” she suggested with a smile while holding out the water bottle she’d brought out for him. Maybe she shouldn’t flirt so shamelessly with a man she’d only just met, but he’d been giving her long looks filled with sexy promises and taking every opportunity to touch her from the moment they’d arrived at the cabin. The scrape of his arm here, a feather-light brush of his fingers there… It was driving her insane.
“It sure is,” he said as he yanked the shirt off, tossing it onto the hood of his truck. He stalked closer, taking a long swig of the water she offered before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His gaze drifted to her lips as he leaned closer. Heart pounding, she didn’t move an inch, but when she thought he would kiss her, he bent further and took a long sniff of her neck. “You know, I won’t be offended if you take your dress off, either.”
Goose bumps raced across every inch of her as his warm breath caressed her skin. When he pulled back, and a soft rumbling sound came from the back of his throat, it was all she could do not to launch herself at him. The sound, almost animalistic, had her nipples pebbled so hard they ached.
No man had any business being so damned sexy. Maple pulled back, putting a few inches between them before she did something stupid like give in to her crazy lust like her body demanded.
“Definitely something to keep in mind,” she said with a grin as she took her fill of the glorious naked chest before her.
With a little extra sway to her hips and her blood pumping hot in her veins, she headed into the cabin, then into her bedroom. After a minute, Maple could hear Jaxon moving around in the kitchen. Just having him there was enough to keep the throb between her legs pulsing like her heart had relocated and taken up residence.
She hung her dress in the closet, relieved to have the material away from her overheated body if only for a short while. She made quick work of removing her bra and underwear, freeing her aching breasts. She gave each nipple a quick pinch and rolled them between her thumb and forefingers, gasping as pleasure streaked through her.
She wished she had the nerve to walk out of her bedroom as she was and take what they both obviously wanted, but that was too bold, even for her. They had just met, after all.
She slid her hand down her body to the juncture between her thighs. The instant she touched herself, her pussy clamped around nothing, making her moan. She stilled, listening for movement outside her bedroom. When she only heard the scrape of something big in the kitchen, she knew Jaxon was too far to hear. It had been way too long since she’d been intimate with a man, and even longer since she’d enjoyed it. Her last boyfriend had been more than a little lacking in the pleasure arena. It wasn’t that she didn’t have orgasms, she knew how to take care of herself, but something was always missing.
What she needed was to take the edge off. Otherwise, she really would tackle Jaxon to the kitchen floor and have her way with him.
Settling herself on her bed, she spread her legs wide and closed her eyes. She wasted no time in finding her clit, wetting her fingers, then plunging them deep inside. Drawing on strength she barely possessed, she kept her sigh quiet. Only a thin door and a short hallway separated her from the man currently making her body so wet she couldn’t stand it.
If only he knew what she was up to such a short distance away. She pulled out and dipped back in again. Maple had never come to such a fevered pitch so quickly in her life. Already, with nothing but her own fingers spearing into her, she was reaching for her climax. She would like to blame her self-imposed abstinence over the past two years for her lack of control, but she couldn’t. It was all him. Jaxon.
Withdrawing her fingers, she circled around her
