Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“I’m sure,” I said. “What’s next on the list?”
For the next hour or so, we worked on the drywall in the hallway. There were several holes and dents where the previous tenants either were careless about moving furniture out or had some serious anger issues. Patching them up was no problem, and it was really a one-person job, but the two of us didn’t seem to want to stray from the other for too long. We stuck together on each job, no matter how small it was, chatting and listening to music.
Once the front hall was done, we made our way to the kitchen. The dishwasher needed to be junked, and I was able to get it out of its place under the counter and out the back door. Eventually, she was going to call for a small dumpster, but for that moment it would be fine on the back porch. A little bit of time spent cleaning the kitchen well and making a list of things that needed to be bought to spruce it up, and we moved on to the upstairs.
There was a palpable tension as we got up there. It was where the bedrooms were, and while there were no beds or furniture to be seen, there was still the acknowledgment that it was where they belonged. Something about being in a bedroom with Allison made everything more intense. Or at least, it was until I was in the bedroom, and she had gone up in the attic to see where the cables snaked through for wiring.
The hole she punched with her foot through the ceiling was impressive, but nothing compared to the one she ended up making as she fell the rest of the way a few moments later. I happened to be able to get under her just in time to catch her on the way down, sending insulation and plaster all over the place.
I was literally holding her aloft, and her body was pressed into mine again. Our eyes locked as the shocked and scared expression on her face turned to a slow, sensual smile.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Right place, right time,” I muttered, the words hard to force out. It was hard to do anything other than kiss her, even with the plaster and the dry paint chips that covered us both. I wanted to feel her lips on mine again.
I let her down and shook the feeling off, trying to focus on working again and assessing how we could fix the ceiling. By the time we had fixed the hole, at least temporarily, it was nighttime, and we were both covered in muck and paint and plaster.
“What do you say to going back to my place, getting a shower and grabbing something to eat?” I asked.
“A shower?” she asked, and suddenly, I realized what I had said.
“Showers,” I said, flustered. “I do have two of them.”
She smiled and walked out of the room into the hallway.
“I think a shower sounds fantastic right about now,” she said.
I followed her out into the hallway, catching up with her as we got to the stairs.
“Do you need to grab anything before we leave?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
“What about—” I began, but she was already out of the door. I looked after her as she walked confidently toward my house, slightly confused.
She needed clothes. She must have forgotten.
I jogged to catch up to her, but she was already at my door, having crossed the space between quickly and yet making it seem like she was in no hurry. I followed her inside and down the hall toward the bedroom doors. She opened hers and left it open, not turning back to look at me as she spoke again.
“Do you mind grabbing me a towel? I think I am all out,” she said.
“Sure,” I said, passing my room and going to the hall closet. “Here you go.”
There was no answer, and I walked back to the doorway. She was already in the bathroom, and I heard the water start. Slowly, I walked into the bedroom, holding the towel and inching toward the bathroom door. It was cracked open. I took a deep breath and knocked.
“Come in,” she said.
“Here’s your towel,” I said.
“Good,” she said, poking her head out of the shower curtain. “Now you have one too.”
“What?” I said but was cut off as the curtain was flung back and she grabbed me by my shirt, pulling me toward her.
I crushed into her with a passionate kiss, and my entire body lit up. Water was pounding me from the showerhead, but I didn’t care that I was still dressed. Allison’s naked, wet body called to me, and my body ached to answer. I yanked at my shirt, pulling it up and out of where it was tucked in my pants. Allison’s fingers reached and pulled with mine, getting the shirt up and over my head and tossing it away before pulling at my belt and yanking at my pants.