Page 51 of Taking Chances

I rush home from work, which is close by luckily, and start getting ready. In the shower, I shave and exfoliate my whole body, overthinking the whole time.

Yes, he said we should talk. But it’s not like ‘we should meet up for sex’ would be proper text etiquette. Would it?

Anyway, I’ll be ready for both. At least as ready as I can be. Rummaging through my underwear drawer, I excavate a red lingerie set I surprised Bryce with last year’s Valentine’s Day.

On one hand, it seems weird wearing that for my meeting with Lennox. On the other, it seems like a final ‘screw you’ to Bryce, so that’s what I go with.

I gained a few pounds since last year, so the set is a tight fit. I don’t even dare to check myself in the mirror, afraid I’ll give up on the whole thing. Nope, I throw on loose jeans and a sweater (easier to take off) and put on some natural looking make-up.

Lennox:

I’m here.

This is it.Butterflies have occupied my stomach; my bottom lip is completely chewed up and it’s time to get myself together.

Inhaling a deep breath, I spare a goodbye glance to my dark romance bookshelf. If these characters can take three of four guys at a time, I can handle one. One pretty special specimen.

20

LENNOX

“Hi,” she squeals out, entering the car. Her sweet perfume invades my nostrils, and I realize that she’s been in this car almost as many times as I have.

“Hi. Fair warning before we get there—I did a lot of work on my house, but it’s still a long way from being done.”

“I think it’s incredible you’re doing everything on your own. I can barely change my own lightbulb.”

“I could teach you.”

“Really?”

My eyes are on the road, but just by her voice I know she’s smiling that innocent, ‘too good for this rotten world’ smile.

“Sure. It’s an important part of being self-sustainable.” I shrug.

“I agree. My father never let me try any of it, not that he did any work on his own. But he always said that a man in my life will take care of it.” I shoot her a quick glance, just in time to see her roll her eyes. “So, tell me what you did.”

“Erm, I finished the bedroom first.” She pulls in a sharp breath. “And after it, I redid the living room and demolished thebathroom. The dirty work in the kitchen is done, but I needed to clean up the garage so I could do the cabinets. So that’s where I’m at.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of work. But it seems like you’re close to being done.”

“Not by a mile.” I chuckle. “There is still the dining room, the second bedroom and bathroom, the garage, and the garage bathroom. But I like it. It keeps me busy.”

“Is someone helping you with it?”

“Connor came by a couple of times, but mostly I do everything on my own. It’s how I prefer it, anyway.”

“Hmm,” she says, not elaborating.

We pull up into my garage ten minutes later.

“Wow. This is huge.” Her eyes are wide as she looks around.

I suppress the ‘that’s what she said’ joke that wishes to exit and clear my throat. “It’s supposed to be a full-on shop.”

She walks around the dull, gray space in her baggy, peach-colored blouse with hair the color of fire, looking at everything with childlike curiosity. Her fingers graze the seat of my bike, the subtle move shooting straight to my dick.

“It’s gorgeous.” Her eyes snap up to mine. “I know nothing about bikes, but I guess this is a good one?”

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