Page 28
Ava
There was actually quite a bit to do today. I had to restock my groceries and get new toiletries while I was at it, review the modified foundation grading layouts, cross-check the shipping manifest for the siding I ordered, and then call Julia. I’d woken up with a mind buzzing with all the tasks I’d have to finish.
In an attempt to ease the stress that was pushing me closer and closer every day to a cardiac arrest, I decided to try out the outdoor shower. It was a rustic cedar-plank enclosure appended to the cabin’s rear. Lacking a roof and final structural bracing, it surpassed the cabin’s condition, a recent renovation neglected for years.
I made sure that the slotted door behind me was closed before stripping.
It was the very last item on that to-do list that had me completely in a bind. Jules hadn’t seemed too amused when I updated her on the chaos of last night’s bar incident, which was unlike her. I was worried that maybe something had happened on that side of the world, and I was determined to speak to her again as soon as possible. I’d probably have to haggle one of the guys for the truck and get myself to the store for unbroken cell coverage.
I twisted the industrial-style gate valve mounted directly onto the exposed copper inlet pipe. I vaguely thought about how nice this shower could actually be once I had these finishes replaced.
Some craft beer might convince the guys to do it a little earlier than scheduled, but I—
A violent shudder ripped through the lines, rattling the entire timber enclosure around me. A loud, metallic pop echoed as something burst under the unthrottled water pressure, sending a freezing jet of water spraying directly against the privacy wall. I shrieked, reaching out to close the valve only to be hit straight in the face with an unpredictable spray of water.
The cold was breathtaking.
I screamed out loud, my brain slowing down to nothing but the sensation of the icy cold biting into my skin. The framing continued to groan around me, and the stall threatened to collapse as I stood trapped beneath the roaring torrent.
After what must only have been a few seconds, Nate burst through the door behind me like a freight train, his boots skidding across the slick floor slats as he lunged to hold up the buckling wall panel with his shoulder.
“Stay out, guys!” he yelled, and I could only assume he was trying to keep Deacon and Ethan at bay. Surely it would’ve been easier for him to fix this if he had their help, but then again I was completely nude. I froze, shivering.
I was naked in front of Nate. Again.
Just like that, my brain snapped back into action and I shrieked, this time in shock as my wet hands desperately battered Nate’s chest to push him away as he barked commands for me to stay still.
‘Get out!” I yelled.
“Do you wanna stop the pipe yourself?” he shouted back.
“I’ll… I’ll figure it out. Just go.”
“Yeah, right, Ava. Stop hitting me!”
It was nothing but pure chaos in the tiny, confined space of that shower stall as water continued to spray blindly from every direction, soaking Nate’s heavy clothes and plastering his dark hair to his head. I knew I was being irrational, but I wasn’t stupid. The small space meant that our slick bodies were colliding and sliding against each other, and the feeling, on top of the knowledge that he was once again seeing me completely naked, had fried my brain.
I could’ve sworn that despite the water frenzy attack and the freezing cold and the failing structure, Nate’s eyes still shamelessly snagged on my wet, exposed body.
He kept fighting to steady the timber, using his other hand to force the valve shut. I finally came to my senses and did it myself after dodging another jet, and the shower died with a sputtering cough.
We stood panting in the small space, my arms instinctively going across my chest to try to cover up. Once he’d managed to properly brace the wall, he stood upright and his posture relaxed somewhat into a rare, loose-shouldered stance. He turned to look at me, this time keeping his eyes on mine instead of trailing them down. But I still felt sparks everywhere, as though the eye contact was just as inappropriate as a full-on, top-to-bottom assessment.
His mouth twitched as he wiped a hand down his soaked face. His dark eyes crinkled at the corners, then he stepped back and reached down to pick up my discarded towel from the dirt floor and handed it to me, his eyes still locked intentionally on mine.
“Forget the warning I gave you last night?” he asked gruffly, but something else lingered in his words. A reminder that this was the second time he had seen me this way. I snatched the towel from him and fixed it around myself, knotting it at the front.
I flinched, tucking my wet hair behind my ears and giving him a hard look. I stepped right up into his personal space, determined not to let the shame of my nudity make me cower, especially when he was clearly amused at my humiliation.
When I came closer, his gaze changed. His lids dropped slightly, a shadow settling over his face. He didn’t move an inch.
“Stop walking in on me naked if you’re not gonna do something about it,” I gritted out.
Nate’s face slackened in shock, his jaw dropping. A delicious flash of victory pulsed through me at the thought that I’d disarmed him, albeit temporarily, given the current situation. I smiled, then simply walked right past him, brushing his arm with my own as I did. I ignored how hard my heart was beating, and the fact that it had nothing to do with the adrenaline of the busted shower.
17
Ava
