AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I start with the plans.” He points at the table, drawing my attention to the papers on it. “I study them. Figure out where the load-bearing walls are. They support the weight of the floor or roof structure above them. Once I find them, I know what I can and can’t remove.”
“Like the walls?”
“Exactly. They cover what’s inside. Like your shirt, it hides what’s really in your structure,” he explains with a quick stroke of his eyes over my body. “We can paint the walls, wallpaper them in whatever we desire, but what’s behind them is all that really counts.”
“Like your pants?” Shit! Why the hell did I say that?
“You’re catching on.” He laughs, eyes smoldering me to ashes.
Moving to the table, he picks up a shirt and goggles and holds them out. “Are you ready to remove this old but beautifully built house’s shirt?”
“Me?” I reply, absentmindedly reaching for the items in his hands.
“Sure.” He walks to the corner of the room and grabs a sledgehammer. “It’ll be fun.” He grips the handle with both hands, causing his biceps to flex. “Promise.”
The sparkle in his audacious eyes offers more than a promise. It tempts the wilder side of me. It pledges satisfaction to feed it with something tasty yet forbidden.
I pull on the shirt he provided, dismissing his thoughtfulness to protect my clothing. The one that hides my structure. He’s added another barrier to me when I want him to remove all of them.
I shake my head at the formidable stupid thought, yank the goggles on, and leave them around my neck without any further intrusive thoughts.
“Come on. It will be fun and might help you release some of that anger you’re harboring.”
I glare at him.
“Listen, I’m not sure what your deal is with me, and I sense you don’t like me for whatever reason, but this will help exert some of your anger. I promise that as well.” He smiles. “We’re going to take down that wall.” He points the hammer at it. “I’ll show you how and—”
“I got it.” I march over, grab the heavy sledgehammer, and head for the wall.
I shift the goggles over my eyes, pitch the hammer back, and with everything I’ve got, I swing it forward, striking the wall.
The head sinks through the plaster. I jerk the handle.
Shit! It’s stuck!
“Jiggle it.” He leans against my back and reaches for the handle. “Here, let me—”
I flash my eyes at him, our mouths back to being a dangerous breath away. “I’ve got it.” I twist around, loosen the head, and free it from the consuming wall.
The music turns up, and I pitch the hammer back again, swinging at the wall. Every hit is more gratifying than the last.
It takes some time, but I complete the stimulating task of stripping the wall.
Plaster and dust surround me. Muscles sore, shoulders shaking, I drop the hammer and pull the goggles off.
All that’s left are the studs and wires. And, damn, I feel good.
I turn to my left.
“You have plaster on you.” Lix’s steady hand stretches out and gently brushes along my cheek. “I like these faint freckles on your face.” His fingers roam to a strand of my hair. He runs his fingers down it. I’m trapped and hypnotized by his tender touch. “The copper highlights in your hair.” He looks up at me. And like an idiot, I wait for his next words. “They bring out the green in your eyes.” His heavy-lidded gaze lowers to my mouth. “And your lips, do you know they’re the color of the inside of a tomato before it fully ripens?”
I swallow the lump he lodged in my throat. My eyes lock on his lips. “I didn’t come here for compliments.”
“Intentions are only pathways.” His scorching blue-blazing eyes rise to mine. “And sometimes they lead us to a place we never intended to be.”
“Is that why you do it? The escorts?”
He chuckles, dropping his hand. “So we’re going down that path?” He releases a loud sigh. “Anything I say to you from here on out is, how do you say it? It’s off the record.” He saunters over to the table and opens the small cooler. “You want a beer?” He holds up a bottle.
