Page 31 of Unspoken Love

He thought about it, remembered the commercial, then doubled over laughing. “I bet I smell much worse than any of them did,” he said with a grin.

She turned back to the wall, clearly trying to hide the flush on her cheeks, and Nate couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. He let the laughter fade as he slowly stretched his arms above his head, the muscles in his back and shoulders aching in that good, solid kind of way that came from real work.

“Well, back at it, I suppose.” He took the last sip of his drink as she stood and walked back to the sprayer. “It’s looking good.” He motioned to the living room walls that she’d already finished. She was halfway through the dining room already as well.

“Thanks. It’s super addictive and fun.” She started the machine again. “Like a video game.” Her eyes locked with his.

He chuckled at that and shook his head. “Have fun,” he said as he stepped back outside, his heart pounding from the sexy look she’d given him.

That kiss the other day had knocked his socks off. Since then, he’d been dreaming of kissing her again. The little looks she’d just given him had those dreams surfacing again.

What he needed to do was work off his horniness. Sweat it out of his system.

Demolishing the deck took up most of his morning. Now he was ready for the real work to begin.

Unlike the front porch, he had every intention of finishing the back deck in the coming few days. He’d had stacks of wood delivered, along with the cement for the footings.

This was something he knew a lot about. Building decks.

He spent the next few hours digging and setting the new posts for the support beams. He cut the joists, and started laying the frame out along the edge of the house where his new French doors sat. It was slow work in this heat but very satisfying. He stopped a few more times to fill the paint sprayer and down as much water as he could.

Faye had been inside nearly the whole time, only appearing now and then with fresh water or to check his progress. He’d tried not to hover, just gave her space. And she was killing it. He could see the transformation each time he stepped inside.

She had finished four rooms of the house so far. The spray painter had been working almost non-stop since they’d finished lunch, which had been delivered from the Golden Oar.

After lunch, he returned to the deck, and the next couple of hours passed in steady rhythm—the whirl of his drill, the quiet hum of the paint gun from inside, and the occasional breeze that swept off the ocean and cooled the sweat on his skin.

When he stepped back from the skeleton of the new deck that ran the entire width of the house, he wiped his forehead with the edge of his T-shirt and let out a breath of satisfaction. Still rough, still missing planks, the stairs that would lead to the backyard, and the railings—but the bones was there. Solid. Just like he wanted. He was about to head inside to check on her progress when her voice stopped him.

“You didn’t deny it, by the way.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Deny what?”

“That you look like one of those construction worker commercials,” she said with a lightness in her tone, but he caught the flicker of humor in her expression.

The look she was giving him stirred something warm in his chest.

He smirked. “Why would I deny it if it gets me compliments and keeps you working for free?”

She snorted from the doorway where she’d obviously been watching him for a while. “I’m working for free because I’ve always dreamed of painting a house.” She tilted her head. “But I have to admit, the view isn’t half bad.”

“You don’t look so bad either.” He motioned toward her, and she laughed as she looked down at her paint-splattered attire. “I really like the splattered look you have going for you.” She had speckles of paint on her cheeks from where the mask and goggles hadn’t protected her face. Her clothes were covered in the four different colors she’d used that day.

She did a little twirl as she laughed. One minute, they were laughing and enjoying the light humor, the next she was holding her head and pitching forward. Thankfully, he was only a step away and easily caught her before she fell into the space where his deck should have been.

“Hey,” he said, easily lifting her in his arms and setting her down on one of the wide beams. “Faye?” He said her name several times.

When he knew she wasn’t going to fall over, he rushed off and grabbed one of the water bottles from the cooler and held it for her.

Her eyes were closed and she was taking deep breaths while he stood there like a freaking statue, unsure what was going on.

It seemed like forever before she finally straightened up and opened her eyes slowly. When she saw the water bottle he was holding for her, she took it and swallowed a big gulp.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“What was that?” he asked gently as he shoved his hands into his jeans, afraid that she’d see his hands shaking.

“My implant has slight feedback sometimes,” she said slowly. “I’m told some people take a while to adjust, but I was hoping…”