Page 40 of Bound By Words

Which was not helping my situation at all right now.

“Not unless you ask nicely,” he murmured as I walked into the entryway, loosely gripping the edge of the open front door. One of the dirty work boots he’d put back on a few moments ago was propping the door open as he leaned against the frame, his smirk making it clear he was enjoying my inability to speak around him.

“Fine, I’ll take it back. Stay out in the cold garage by yourself, and I won’t have to worry about the hassle of wearing pajamas in here.”

“But you wear them so well,” he teased, once again letting his eyes trail down my body. How he could flirt with me when I knew I looked like a hot mess was beyond me, but I must admit I was enjoying it.

“Well, I look even better out of them.” Slapping my hand over my mouth, I shook my head, not intending to say that aloud. “Sorry, that was inappropriate,” I mumbled through my fingers as he started to chuckle.

He grasped my hand, pulling it loose and squeezing my fingertips before gently dropping it. “Don’t be embarrassed, Kell. You know I like this side of you. Don’t ever change.”

My cheeks flooded again, a tingle running up my spine at his words.

“Just let me know if you need me to run to the store later this afternoon,” he continued. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with you. Even if you keep looking at me like a piece of meat.”

“Oh, shut it,” I snapped as I tried to push him out the door. “Go back to playing with your wood.”

A surprised laugh burst out of Nathan’s mouth as he shook his head, pushing himself off the door frame and nodding in my direction before he crossed the driveway.

I paused to look at him for a moment, enjoying how his hips swung as he strutted toward the woods, bending over to pick up his ax from where he’d left it propped.

He turned to face me, a smirk on his face when he caught me watching. He threw his hand up in a wave. “Have fun watching me handle my wood!” he yelled, and I quickly slammed the door, his loud laughter echoing outside.

NATHAN

Connecticut

A thrill shot up my spine every time I glanced toward the house’s front windows while I was working, knowing that Kelly was watching. I’d caught glimpses of her throughout the day and forced myself to concentrate.

Being distracted while holding a sharp object in my hands was a potential hazard and downright stupid. I’d barred people from a worksite before for letting their personal lives distract them from paying attention to the dangers of the job—especially the machinery they handled.

Ever since my brief phone conversation with Evan, I’d found myself analyzing the timing of everything. At first glance, it appeared to be a coincidence that we’d be in the same place simultaneously, much like the wedding. But it felt like something bigger was at play here.

Kelly had been placed in my path twice when I felt listless. Who was I to question fate or divine intervention or whatever it was that kept drawing us together? While the weekend we spent together had a short shelf life, it seemed we’d be together for at least the next few weeks. Was this a test of some sort?

She had seemed flustered to see me, and her fumbling this morning had been downright endearing. She could be quite the firecracker if she’d relax a little and let me inside that head of hers. Her outer beauty paled in comparison to the glimpses of her personality that she’d revealed. A sense of humor was something I found completely and utterly sexy, but we’d have to work on the self-deprecation. I knew Kelly was harder on herself than she needed to be.

The only flaw I saw in reading more into the situation was her hesitation to trust me. She’d outright refused to tell me what happened with her job, and the pain in her eyes at the mention of it made my mind race with possibilities of what might have happened. None of those scenarios were good. And if someone there hurt her in any way…

The very thought of it ignited something primal and protective inside of me. I’d fly to Chicago and fuck someone up if they’d done something to her. I knew all kinds of methods to torture someone; give me a rope and a pocketknife, and I’d make sure they wished they’d never been born.

A glance at my watch showed it was already nearing 7:00 p.m. My shoulders burned with the exertion of clearing the space next to the driveway and around the foundation. It wasn’t easy work by any means, but I felt accomplished as I looked toward the large pile of firewood next to the garage I’d loosely covered with a tarp. There was a pile of brush I’d need to dispose of, but the woodchipper back at the barn would chew through that in no time.

The lights in the house flicked on as the sun began to set in the west, the reds and pinks of the sky reflecting off the corner of the lake I could see down the hill from the house.

Evan had chosen this location well, and if I ever wanted to move out of the city permanently, I could see myself wanting something like this. Quiet, undisturbed, beautiful surroundings. It didn’t surprise me that this was where Evan and Chase chose to do most of their writing.

Kelly briefly appeared in the front window, brushing her wet hair as she scanned the area around the house. I was far enough into the wooded area she likely couldn’t see me, but I could see the emotions flickering across her face from here.

She might have thought she was vanilla, but I’d seen some voyeuristic tendencies in how she watched people, mostly because I’d watched her intently throughout the wedding weekend. As her dark eyes scanned the woods again, I found myself thinking dangerous thoughts about what other little hidden kinks she might have.

I already knew she didn’t mind being restrained and took direction well. She also gave me glimpses of hidden dominant personality traits I’d love to see come to light. If coached correctly, she had the potential to bring men to their knees—literally. I just wasn’t sure if that was something she’d want or something I hoped she’d let blossom within herself for selfish reasons.

When she stepped away from the window, moving toward the kitchen, I realized she was likely waiting to see if I’d make an appearance. She had offered to use one of the showers in the house, and it’d be rude to refuse her hospitality. At least, that was the excuse I was using for the need to spend more time with her that had been rising in me since Evan mentioned her name. I knew he said she wouldn’t be a problem while I was trying to work, but he had no idea about my secret fixation with his sister that had come roaring back to life as soon as she opened that door all grumpy and sleep-rumpled.

Gathering up my tools on the way back to the garage, I stowed away my chainsaw and ax, making sure the blades were clean and dry as any good workman should.

It was nearing 7:30 when I got my toiletries and clean clothes thrown into a small duffel bag and knocked on the front door.

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