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There’s no way I’m doing that tomorrow. Jerry has filled in the cracks of my heart and I won’t be a heartless rat and send him back where he came from.
“But as for tonight, I’ll just stay with Alec and help,” I say. “Jerry is fine in his crate upstairs.”
Sebastian only grunts and waves us off. It’s not until he’s halfway to his truck that he turns back around. “I’ll leave the fans by the garage.” He takes another look at the water and swears under his breath, shaking his head. “Let me know what A-Plus says.”
We watch as Sebastian carries the large fans over, one in each arm and deposits them near the door. When he turns to leave, my good sense begins to kick in.
“Wait!” I shout as I move through the water and out onto the sidewalk. “Will you stay and help us?”
Sebastian rubs the side of his face as he hesitates. He then gives a slight nod and meets us back in the doorway. Grabbing the broom, he pushes it through the water, managing to make some progress.
“You must be freezing,” Alec says, his gaze going down me and back up again.
“What about you? You’re in—” I stop myself. I’m in the second grade now because I can’t say the word “underwear” to save my life.
Besides, I haven’t yet confirmed the fact. Maybe they’re just tight biker shorts? And really. Does it even matter? He looks unreal in whatever they are.
He traps his top lip in his teeth before reaching out to rub my arms up and down. “Let’s get you upstairs and out of this mess. Youarefreezing.” In one swift movement, and without warning, he swoops me up in a cradle hold and trudges through the water like a firefighter hero.
“Alec,” I demand. “Put me down.” I use my fist against his upper back, but it’s a feeble attempt. “I’ve been walking around in this water just fine.”
He raises both brows in protest to that statement and doesn’t speak again until he’s climbed the steps and we’re in my loft bedroom.
It’s warmer up here, which is needling out my vulnerability. I glance around the room. It’s such an intimate place to be. My bed. Our doggy foster son curled up in his crate.
I push at Alec’s chest and he carefully leans to the side and drops the arm that’s holding up my legs. Standing on the carpet, I let out a gust of breath—frustrated that he carried me, but getting so many firefighter rescue vibes I’m having a hard time caring too much.
“I wish you could take a warm shower or something, but the water’s turned off for now.” He steps to the bed and begins straightening the tumble of sheets and blankets I left. “I’m sorry about all this.”
“I’m not.”
And at the weight of my words, he stops messing with the bedding and looks at me. He swallows hard. “The rules,” he says simply, but his eyes are blazing.
“I asked you to break them, Alec. Three times.” I give a breathy laugh. “Like I said, I’m not sorry.”
I turn from him and take a few steps to peer over the railing at the water that’s covering the entire main floor, or what I can see of it. “I don’t know the state of your bedroom and bathroom.” I nod rapidly. “So at some point, after the restoration company does their work, if your room down there is unusable...” Now it’s my turn to swallow hard. “You’re just going to have to come back up here and share this bed with me.”
Chapter 26
Alec
After a mumble of “We’ll see…” and my inability to temper the smile forming on my face, I leave Oakley’s loft bedroom, head downstairs, and slosh through the water to help Sebastian while we wait for A-Plus.
He just glares at me with a knowing scowl before returning to channeling the water out the door.
The woman invited me into her bed.
Not like that.And I wouldn’t go that far, anyway.
We have rules and respect to consider.
But Oakley does have a point because my bedroom carpet is just as bad as the rest of the downstairs. Sebastian and I grab every towel we can find and try to sop up what we can. But I’d be lying to myself if I thought I’d be getting any sleep down here.
I feel like I’m in a raft in the middle of the ocean, memories from childhood entering my mind. Growing up with five brothers and parents who traveled for work meant there was time and room for imaginary play. And tonight, in the cold water, I remember playing ship. We pretended to be sailors on the open sea, and it’s one of the best memories I have. We were gathered in. Together.
I wonder if Sebastian built the Longdale Lake resort for that purpose? To bring us in?
My thoughts are interrupted with a knock on the doorframe and a holler in a deep voice through the open door. “A-Plus here, is anyone home?”
