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He smiles at me when I stop in front of him, but I don’t return the kindness. The asshole interrupted my time with Dahlia, even if he was only doing his job and it’s my fault for not keeping track of time. Not that I was able to even think about the time when she was stealing every thought from my brain.
“Hey, mate. The door was open,” he says by way of explanation, and I glance over his shoulder to find that he’s right. The door needs to be replaced and have proper locks put in because it’s rickety as shit. I make a mental note to do that immediately. Something as precious as Dahlia needs to be protected properly.
“Don’t need to come inside to fix the roof,” I tell him through gritted teeth.
Tom rolls his eyes at me, used to my gruffness. “I need to meet the homeowner,” he says, raising a brow pointedly.
Before I can answer, Dahlia’s quick steps come from above. Instantly, my heart picks up speed just as the knowledge she’s close. And that my seed is still inside her. It fills me with a primal satisfaction that threatens to hide her away so nobody else can ever look at her beauty or experience her infectious happiness.Mine mine mine.
I don’t know how the hell I got so lucky to have a girl like her give herself to me…and only me. Fuck, my mouth is watering at the thought of it. I want to show her just how good I can make her feel, in bed and out of it.
Well, damn.
I’ve never felt like this before. It’s terrifying but it’s too late. I’m already falling head first, willing to risk the pain of crash-landing if it means I get to hold her for even a minute.
“Hi!” Dahlia calls out as she runs down the stairs with fluffy socks on her feet. She’s wearing an oversized jumper and leggings now, and I want to rip the sweater over her head and give her one of mine to wear instead.
Tom and Dahlia introduce themselves, and I stand with them trying to appear civilized. My narrowed stare keeps flicking between Tom and the door. I need to get that sorted, and there’s a hardware store twenty minutes away that usually has plenty in stock I could use. Besides, I hung up on that guy from the kitchen place earlier so I need to stop by there too. And Tom is a good guy. I trust him to watch out for Dahlia while he works.
I loathe to leave her, but I reason with myself. It’ll only be two hours max, and it’s for her benefit.
“I have to run out to grab more supplies,” I interrupt, not caring that Tom was talking. “Will you be alright for an hour or so?”
Dahlia smiles at me, and fuck if it isn’t the most stunning smile I’ve ever seen. “I’ll survive without you for a while,” she teases, but I frown at her. Her stance softens and the back of her hand grazes mine. “Go on. I’ll finish unpacking while you’re out, okay? It’s not like I’ll be much help with the roof.”
My eyes widen and I turn to Tom, pointing a finger at him. “Do not let her near your ladder,” I warn, the image of Dahlia trying to help on the fucking roof giving me heart palpitations.
He chuckles at me. “Message received,” he says. “I’ll get on with it. There’s some tiles missing, and I’ll check for further damage before I start fixing it up.”
I nod, happy with that, and clench my fists to stop myself grabbing Dahlia and dragging her out with me. I don’t want to overwhelm her, though I’ve made it pretty damn clear that she’s mine now. Besides, I’ve already interrupted her unpacking once.
“Back soon.” I turn to leave.
“I’ll try to survive in your absence,” Dahlia calls out with a laugh, making my teeth clench. God, her sass might actually drive me insane. Then again, I’ll happily take whatever madness she gives me.
Dahlia Jenkins has done something to me in just a few short days that nobody else has ever come close to.
She’s stolen my fucking heart.
* * *
An hour and a half later,with a car full of supplies, I pull up outside Dahlia’s cottage. Tom’s ladder is still propped up at the side of the house, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Surely, he isn’t done already?
Leaving the stuff in the car for now, I trudge up the overgrown path and barrel into the house. I need to set eyes on Dahlia, to reassure myself that she’s still here and hasn’t run for the fucking hills yet.
“Dahlia?” I call out when I enter, but my voice is overshadowed by the musical sound of her laughter. I turn towards it, feeling like her presence is a physical tug in the center of my chest, demanding closeness.
My feet take me into the living room, then further through the doorway to the kitchen. For a second, I just stand there, dumbstruck. I blink a few times as though the scene in front of me will clear, but no, it’s still the same.
Dahlia,my Dahlia, on her back under the cupboard where the new sink will be fitted, her sock-covered feet sticking out. And beside her, his knee touching hers, is the man who should be on the fucking roof, not in her house. Making her laugh. Too close to her, too close to what’s mine.
I’m going to kill him.
I don’t even have time to think. My body’s already moving, driven by instinct. At the sound of my heavy footsteps, they both move, scooting back out so I can see their faces again. The second I get close enough, I grab Tom by the front of his shirt and roughly yank him to his feet. By the shocked look on his face, he’s seen the murder in my eyes.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growl at him, hearing Dahlia let out a little squeak as she scrambles to get to her feet in front of me.
“Calm down, man!” Tom sputters, eyes wide and face red as I shake him a little.
