Page 11 of Three Hearts Hideaway

He wanted someone to fuck. And Ava was stunning. Plus, she appeared confident in her skin. The way she bounded down the stairs in those tiny shorts, not concerned in the slightest that her ass was half on display for two strangers. The confidence in her body spoke to him, as did the quick way she complied when he told her off. It made him wonder if she’d comply as easily with his requests in the bedroom, too.

He wanted to think if he ran into her on Main Street, and she needed a place to stay, that he would’ve offered. But whenit came right down to it, he knew he wouldn’t have. That just wasn’t him. If anything, he would’ve flirted, brought her here for a quick and dirty time together, then charged her for a room.

Things were better that way. There was a reason he kept his walls up. And he’d been through enough therapy to know he was difficult. But he also knew that the people who mattered were the people who stayed. Stuck by his side through thick and thin. Put in the effort to get through to him. Like Roman.

Shaking off the lack of sleep, Logan rose to do his morning routine. Get rid of the five o’clock shadow, have a quick shower, apply moisturizer, brush his teeth, and make sure each product went right back where it belonged on his sink counter. A bit of cologne and he was ready.

He needed to talk to Ava before Roman got up and became her tough protector again. They were busy. They had rooms to paint, bathrooms to tile, furniture to pick out. There was no time to play host to a girl looking for a handout. He’d make her see reason. Gertie would find a place for her to stay, like originally offered, before Roman called him from the pub.

Logan went upstairs to the guest rooms and knocked on Ava’s door. She’d probably be sleeping, but that was too bad. Time to get moving and be on her way.

The door flew open and left Logan gawking at the sight before him.

Ava gave the impression she’d been awake for a while. Her hair was thrown back in a messy ponytail high on her head, the oversized t-shirt she had on the night before was speckled with what appeared to be…mortar? And did she have a bit on her cheek and hands as well? What the hell was this girl doing?

“Morning,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Uh, morning,” he replied, completely thrown for a loop.

“How can I help you, Logan?” Her voice was sweet and polite, no doubt doing her best to win him over so he would let her stay longer.

“We need to talk. I think it’s best if we find you another place to—” He cut himself off, unable to concentrate, not knowing what she’d been doing before he knocked on her door. “Why are you covered in mortar? What have you been doing in here?” He stepped into the room, not bothering to ask if he could enter. He built the place, after all.

“Oh, well…” Her gaze fell to her feet, then rose to him. “You said you didn’t want me getting in the way or slowing your progress down, so I figured in addition to paying for the room here, I would help out as well.”

“Help how?”

“Come,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the ensuite bathroom. “I’ll show you.”

He slipped his hand out of hers and didn’t miss the small expression of hurt that crossed her face. She recovered quickly, though. Logan was surprised he even saw it.

“Ta-da!” She stood by the washroom door, holding her arms out.

His jaw dropped. “You tiled the shower?” Disbelief overtook him and he couldn’t do anything else but stare.

“I couldn’t sleep. So at three o’clock this morning, I decided to make myself useful. The tiles were already cut and the other supplies were lying around. Easy as pie.” She shrugged her shoulders like working through the night was no big deal.

“Where did you learn to do this?”

“My dad’s a contractor. I grew up helping him with stuff like this. Tiling a bathroom is child’s play,” she stated matter-of-factly, but the glint in her eye told him she was proud of her handiwork.

“Next time, ask before you do something like this.” He didn’t bother keeping the bitterness out of his tone. For the life of him, he couldn’t be polite.

She was stunning, willing to work, and knew her way around a trowel? His. Fucking. Luck.

Ava frowned at his reaction. “What?”

He needed to get her out of here. “I don’t need you botching our plans and putting us behind.” He took a step closer to her. So close, his chest almost brushed against her own. “Stay out of our way.”

Her head tipped up so she could meet his eyes. A flash of defiance flitted through them. “I’m pretty sure Roman wantsme toget in his way.”

Another step closer. She was pressed against the door and his body was flush with hers. Placing his arms on either side of her head, he boxed her in. “I think he just wants to getinyou,” he rumbled out, low and throaty.

“Looks like you might want that, too.” Her gaze drifted down to where their bodies were pressed together.

He was definitely sporting a semi.

“See something you like?” he taunted.

---