Page 54 of Steel

“Duh,” he said with a hard snap of his head.

“Okay then. I’ll order.” Steel winked.

“Why don’t you go wash up, babe?”

With a sharp salute, which I had no idea where he’d gotten it from, my son spun around and walked military style into the kitchen with his sidekick following him.

“Children,” I said while shaking my head.

“They’re pretty cool. But don’t tell him I said that.”

I zipped my lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

He’d yet to dial a number when we heard a loud shriek followed by laughter. In a panic, I flew into the kitchen, stopping immediately when I realized what was seeing.

My child was playing in a huge two foot high arced stream of water, Zorro dancing around his legs as my child and half the room were being sprayed because of a broken faucet.

Could this horrible day get any worse?

“I’ll find the shut-off valve and get a wrench,” my savior said from behind me.

* * *

Exhaustion settled over me like a cheap, coarse blanket, scratching my skin and providing little comfort. I wasn’t tired because of joyous activity or even a solid day of physical work or exercise. I was drained all the way through my core from the horrific experience and my mind was working overtime about how to get out of the mess fate had been happy to drop me into.

At least I’d already heard back from my insurance agent, although she’d warned me that given the volume of claims, mine would take some time to process.

Even to get a rental car unless I wanted to fork out bucks on my own. It might come to that, but until I was well on my way with the project, I was hesitant to spend any excess money.

Which meant I had to rely on my next-door neighbor’s decency for a little while.

I stood in the doorway of Damon’s room, happy that my son had enjoyed his day. He hadn’t been able to stop jabbering at the dinner table, consuming three huge pieces of pizza. He’d giggled every time I’d caught him sneaking a rounded ball of sausage to his new ‘best friend.’

How had things gotten so out of hand so quickly?

With Zorro’s tail thumping and his big brown eyes peering up at me from his perch on Damon’s leg, I sensed what the dog was trying to tell me.

That he’d take care of my little boy through thick and thin.

There was no way I could disrupt their happiness.

None.

Biting back a sigh, I closed the door and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Thank God, in addition to my sexy neighbor being a true hero in saving my life, he was also a qualified plumber and had even for kicks and giggles fixed a shelf inside one of the cabinets that had threatened to collapse.

As soon as I stepped into the room, my mind flew to several places that I should consider forbidden. Including seeing him without a shirt one more time. Which I hoped to do for the calendar. I could also envision different looks, from him wearing jeans with the fly open to chaps with nothing under them.

The handsome man had cleaned up the kitchen and was standing with a towel tossed over his shoulder, his hands under the faucet and his hair swept into his face. No one of the male species should look so edible during a simple chore. No one.Another series of lurid thoughts plagued my mind. Now was definitely the time to have a heart to heart with him.

Heat swept my face and became an instant beacon because Steel sensed I’d entered the room. He placed the last plate on the dishrack and twisted his body, his eyes fixated on mine but only for a few seconds. With a slow and steady gaze that appeared as if he was undressing me, with every inch traveled, his body stiffened more.

Then he nodded to the small island.

Two drinks and a bottle of whiskey.

“Where did you find that?” I moved further into the room.

“I know where Jasper keeps a bottle for personal consumption.” He turned toward me, drying his hands and tossing the towel. “I thought you could use something to help you relax.”