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“Shit, the handyman!” I get up and drop my blanket off me, sliding into my slippers and making for the door.
“Handyman? I told you I’d fix it.”
I stop, hand on the knob. I don’t want to insult him, but I didn’t want to bother him either. Which is ridiculous because he broke it.
“It’s alright. He’s already here.”
He eyes me narrowly. I know he’s been busy, even though his brutish boots are what broke the thing in the first place. He hasn’t talked to me about whatever is going on between him and Ryker, but I don’t want to press him, either.
Knowing Ryker has a dark side to him that Gage is fixing makes me anxious, though. Because all those nights I’d run out of my house or had him run over here, it was to save me and now I wonder if I should’ve been anywhere near him.
But with all that’s going on, Ryker is the least of my worries. When I open the door, a rotund man in overalls and a thick jacket that doesn’t seem like it can zip over his round belly smiles at me. His cheeks are rosy from the cold. I can’t help but smile. Gage’s disinterest in having the man here is evident, his annoyance flows through the room and skims down my back, and I fight a shiver.
“I have an order to fix a door. I assume this is the door?” The man asks, looking at the splintered door frame.
I nod, stepping back. “Please, come in out of the cold.”
He wipes his boots on mycat ladyfront door mat, hefting his massive tool bag inside with him. “Thank you. It’s beautiful to watch from the comfort of the living room, but it’ll nip your nose nearly clean off, won’t it?” He laughs.
I smirk. “That it will. So, you were right, this is the door. Let me know if you need anything at all. Even if it’s a warm drink,” I offer.
“I will. It shouldn’t take me too long to sort it out.” He runs his gaze over the door, planning how to approach it, and it’s clear he’s fighting the urge to ask how it happened as he flicks his eyes between Gage and me.
Gage grumbles loudly enough for an embarrassing blush to color my cheeks before he stands and stomps upstairs.
The bedroom door slams, and I smile once more at the handyman, moving over to the shelves next to my television and grabbing a book to pretend to read while I wait for the man to be done.
Normally, I hate having people in the house to service things, especially when they’re strangers. But I know if Gage caught a vibe off this man, he’d have never left me alone with him. It’s calming. And it’s something I’m not used to.
I fall into the book I snatched off the shelves hastily, slipping into the world of fantasy easier than I have in a long time. Letting it consume me.
Before I know it, the man says he’s done. I look over his work where he shows me there will still be visible evidence of thebreak-in. But it’s solid and the locks are back in place.
I pay him and give him a cup of coffee to warm him on his way back home, but not before he tells me if I need help, I can call the cell on his business card, and he’ll be happy to oblige. The look in his eyes makes it clear he’s not talking about handyman work. He’s more concerned about the enormous broody man that’s hidden himself away in my bedroom.
I close the door and lock it, looking up the stairs with a grin on my lips. Throwing the business card onto the coffee table, I make my way upstairs. I burst into the room, finding Gage toweling off, his ass on full display.
He eyes me, straightening and letting the towel lift as he dries his hair. “Little one, you’re drooling.”
I close my mouth, licking my lips. It was a joke, but it’s possible I was drooling.
He’s a specimen all his own. He should be studied. “You know, the handyman gave me his card with his cell number on it. In case I needhelp.”
He throws his towel into my hamper near the bathroom’s entrance, slipping into boxers he’d brought with him. It’s when I notice a bag on my bed.
He brought an overnight bag.
I inwardly squeal. It’s probably not the time to build something with someone, but I can’t help myself when I’m around him.
“Is the door fixed?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes, still visible proof you kicked it in, but I kind of like that there is,” I admit.
He fights a grin. “Good. Now we can see to your punishment.”
I swallow, blood rushing from my face as my heart speeds up. “Punishment?!”
He stalks towards me, massive thighs and torso flexing with each purpose-filled step. “I told you I would fix that door.”
