His dick twitched inside of me. “I’m never going to get the roof started if you keep talking like that. But just in case, plan to do it next Saturday.”
“Deal.”
He withdrew and covered himself with his shorts before helping me straighten my clothing and stand. I glanced around. Trees surrounded his place, granting us the privacy I didn’t think about until now. With a display of unexpected intimacy, he cupped my chin and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
“Wanna back the truck out and shut the door? I need to change into my work clothes.”
As we walked back to the house, hand in hand, I couldn’t stop my grin. He’d tried to forget me for weeks, but within hours, he’d introduced me to his people, brought me to his house, and even trusted me with his expensive ride. If only I could go back to my sixteen-year-old self and tell her not to worry, it’d all be okay. She’d get the guy after all.
Flynn
I fought to hold still as Tilly dabbed aloe gel on my shoulders. I hissed and jerked away, then sighed and relaxed back. Each new spot she spread the green goop, I reacted the same way.
“We underestimated the power of the sun.” She spread the gel around to cover the angry red sunburn.
“And how the black shingles amplify it. I baked myself.” I’d put on sunblock but worked through the day without stopping to reapply it.
Squirting more aloe gel into her hand, she covered me with another coat. Her touch was light, and for the first time in a long while, I didn’t want her pressed against me. Having her around was fun, though. She’d also spent a lot of time outside bringing me refreshments and running tools up the ladder.
The roof was done and it was almost suppertime. I’d worked late last night and then been up and hammering away this morning as soon as we’d had another round—that ended up being two—of sex. I was tempted to bring her to my house, where I could fill my tub with tepid water to soothe my inflamed skin, then have her crawl in with me.
She tossed the gel aside and sat back on the couch. “You haven’t mentioned going for a run once all weekend.”
I shrugged and winced. “I don’t need to when I do this work all day.”
“So being in an office stresses you out? You don’t enjoy it.”
“Why do you say that?” Was it that obvious? I grabbed her remote to flip the TV on. She had no cable. I scanned through the stations she did get. Nothing.
“Just how you acted on vacation. On day one, I thought you were going to work the whole week, but by day seven, you never touched your laptop. Then this weekend. You were still in your suit after most offices had been closed for hours.”
That was my life. “There’s not a damn thing on.” I tossed the remote down. “Do you have any movies?”
She gave me a droll look and pointed to the box by the TV. “Pick your poison. Michael Keaton Batman, post–Michael Keaton inferior-nineties Batman, Christian Bale Batman—my favorite—or Ben Affleck Batman. Or we can change it up. CGI Green Lantern or Deadpool. How about Marvel? I’ve got Tobey Maguire Spider-Man or Andrew Garfield Spider-Man. Or the new guy. You’d be surprised how quickly newly released DVDs end up at the thrift store. I love it. If you’re not in a superhero mood, I found the whole series of Downton Abbey at a pawnshop. We can learn the fine art of insults from the dowager countess.”
“Who?” I shook my head. “Never mind, I’ll go with new-guy Spider-Man.”
I was crawling to the box to dig the movie out when the faint chime of music caught my attention. “Is that your phone?”
“Hmm?” She pried her gaze off my ass in my carpenter jeans. I was man enough to admit that I relished the way she checked me out in my work clothes.
The theme song to My Little Pony played from the kitchen. For a moment, I was transported back to childhood, watching cartoons while Lynne belted out the song. My throat constricted. I never remembered the good times anymore.
“Oh shit.” She ran to grab it and I stuffed away my emotions and kept looking for the movie.
The movie was in and set up. Tilly’s voice resonated from the kitchen in strangely even, though upbeat tones. Work call?
I eased back onto the couch, careful of my shoulders. Glancing around her small living room, I mentally tallied all the projects I could do. Repaint the ceiling—water damage had seeped through at some point. The entire place could use a fresh coat of paint, in something other than primer white. Every window could be replaced. The house was over forty years old. The carpet and laminate weren’t original, but they were still outdated. I didn’t have to use the appliances to know they were old and sucked energy.
If I had a place like this, I’d have weekend projects for a year.
Tilly rushed out, her face bright with excitement. I smiled just watching her. Her shorts today were a vivid purple with yellow trim and her white shirt didn’t hide her fuchsia bra.
“I have a new client!” She bounced on the couch, but far enough away she didn’t jostle the fabric against my skin.
“Awesome.” Anything more than word-of-mouth advertising probably wasn’t in her budget. For new clients to find her, she had to be good. I didn’t have to see her work to know she was amazing at her job. Her caring and enthusiasm were obvious.
“They want twice a week, even through the school year. I can’t wait to meet the girl.”
“You’re okay working all day with kids and then tutoring at night?” And she said I put in long days.
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s fun. I won’t lie, it can be tiring. It sounds clichéd, but teaching is very rewarding.”
I could make a list of why my
