Page 32
Story: Just This Once
“You prefer duchess? Me too.”
“I can’t fucking stand you,” she says with no heat in her voice. In fact, I think she likes me. More thanlikesme.
Especially because she asks, “Why do you need a place to stay?”
I am immeasurably happy that she’s curious about me, but my living at home isn’t exactly a topic I want to explain, so I skip over it. “I broke up with my girlfriend a few weeks ago, and I need a new?—”
“Youcheatedon her with me?”
Without thinking, I grab her shoulders again. “No. I would never and have never cheated on anyone.”
“When did you break up?”
I can’t help my growing smile. “Are you concerned for her or me or you?”
She wiggles out of my hold, scrunching up her nose. “Notme.”
“No? There was no tinge of jealousy in your voice just then?”
She steals the bag of candy and sees herself out of the laundry room. I, of course, follow her. “I’m a great tenant. I’ll mow your lawn, take out your trash. Hell, I’ll even cook you dinner if you want.”
She stops abruptly, pivoting to face me. “Cook me dinner?”
“Yeah.” I lean against the wall, casual as can be. “I’m Italian. Make you sauce from scratch.”
She rolls her eyes. “I can’t have my contractor living in the apartment above my house. It’s not appropriate.”
I push off the wall, taking a step closer to her. “There’s nothing inappropriate about it. I work for you, notunderyou.”
Immediately, my mind goes to working under her. Fuck yeah, I’d work so hard.
I think she’s imagining the same thing—her sitting on my face—because her cheeks flush pink.
And she struggles to reply, her jaw flapping up and down. So I cut her a break. “You won’t even know I’m there. I’ll be so good. Scout’s honor.”
I hold up three fingers, giving her my best innocent smile, and she shakes her head. Though, I can see her resolve wavering, lips twitching, and I press my palms together, silently begging. She eventually closes her eyes with a delightful little growl. “I’ll think about it.”
I can work with that. I tweak her arm and head over to the crew to see what I can help with.
By lunchtime, we’ve made good progress inside, so I headoutside to refinish the porch. Which makes Taryn completely incensed when she realizes.
“Why are you doing this? I can’t pay for it. This wasn’t in the contract or on any list of items we discussed.”
I shrug. “Yeah, but the exterior could use some love too.”
“It’s not in the budget.”
“It’s on my dime,” I tell her, and she fumes.
“This better not be some quid pro quo situation.”
“I literally have no idea what that means,” I say, adjusting the bandanna I have tied like a headband to catch my sweat. “But this’ll be loud, so…”
I hit the power on the sander, and she clamps her hands over her ears, shouting something at me that I can’t hear. Though her ass sure does look good as she stomps away from me.
Later, I help carry in a pallet of wood, waving at Taryn to catch her attention. “Look at me being professional at work.”
She scowls.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32 (Reading here)
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102