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Yeah, pretty much everything about what I did, but that had nothing to do with the fact that we had to jump over a gigantic hole for the sake of saving Laura’s delicates from rough passage in a duffel bag.
“You know what? I’m jumping. Follow me or don’t. Either way, I have a job to do, and I never fail on a mission.”
I jogged a few steps back, bounced on my toes and rubbed my fingers together as I prepared for the leap. I was born ready for this. I took off, jumping just as my foot was at the edge of the hole andwhirled my arms through the air, landing with both feet on the kitchen floor in perfect form.
Grinning, I turned around and held out my arms at the smug bastard on the other side. “Think you can do better?”
He scoffed at me, moving back to the same position I took before I made the running leap. I took a step back, making room for him to land safely beside me. The intense look on his face only increased his competitive nature. He took off, not quite running fast enough. But that wasn’t the only problem. I saw it just as he was taking the last step. The floor started to cave, throwing off his balance. I dove forward, my hand shooting out as my belly hit the floor.
My hand wrapped around his forearm, catching him as he plummeted to the lower level. My arm jerked from the weight of his body dragging me down, but I held strong, reaching to clasp the wall framing the kitchen. I grunted as my arm strained from his massive size.
“Holy shit. How much do you weigh?” I grunted, my face red and strained as I held tight.
“I told you I was too much for you.”
“Bullshit,” I choked out. I put all my strength into slowly pulling him up. My muscles twitched in pain and sweat broke out across my back with every second that passed. Inch by inch, I pulled him higher until he could grasp the floor and help me pull him up. When I had his head just above the flooring, I twisted around to my ass, pressing my foot against the wall to continue pulling him up.
With one final heave, he finished the climb, collapsing on top of me and then rolling to the side. We both laid on our backs, panting as we stared up at the ceiling. This was a lot of work for panties.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
His heavy breaths filled the air as he rolled his head to shoot me a look. “Are you sure you’re in construction?”
I looked back at the ceiling and lied. “Absolutely.”
16
LAURA
“What could possibly be takingthem so long?” I asked, pacing outside my house. Since I wasn’t allowed inside, I was left to stew in misery as I contemplated just what they were doing in there. Did they pack everything the way I would? Not that I had a special way of packing, but we were talking about guys, here. I could end up with heels stuffed in the same bag with a blouse. The last thing I needed was holes in my clothes.
“Would you relax and let the men work?” Edith sighed, staring in her compact as she delicately put her lipstick on. She puckered her lips, then smiled at herself in the mirror.
“Are you hoping to find a husband around here?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m hoping. More like I’m planning. Have you seen the men wandering around here? I could eat peanut butter off their abs.”
I wrinkled my nose at the image. “Edith, you know I love you, but there are some things I don’t need to know.”
“What? It’s perfectly normal. I have a healthy sexual appetite. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, except for the fact that I’ve known you all my life and don’t want to imagine you in bed with anyone.”
“You need to let go of that prudish attitude. Men like a strong woman.”
“And I have no problem with that, but that doesn’t mean I need to hear about what you’re doing.”
I got no response, which I hoped meant that she was dropping the subject. But as I turned around, I caught her eyeing one of the men helping out at another house.
“I think I just found my next target.”
“Edith!” I gasped, slapping her on the arm.
“Wish me luck, honey. I’m going in.”
“I’m not wishing you luck on getting laid,” I hissed. “You’re like my mother!”