Page 2 of Maid in Heaven

Ava glanced down, eyeing the bulge in his pants.The man packs to the left,she thought before chastising herself for the lurid leering.

She subconsciously twisted a piece of her shoulder-length auburn hair around her finger before pressing the microphone button to speak. “Hello?”

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Quinn—”

She tapped the microphone icon on her screen and spoke, “It’sMs.Quinn.”

“I’m so sorry.” His words were genuine. He ran a hand through his sandy-blonde hair. “So many of my clients have been married. I just assumed. I beg your pardon, ma’am.”

“You know what they say about assuming things, right?”

“Yeah, it makes anassouttayouandme,” he recited the dumb quip from memory. He locked his brilliant eyes onto the camera again. The masculine voice dribbled from his lips like honey. “Madison Miller hired me for a deep clean package. I’m your maid, Will Jessup.”

Ava held down the mic button again. “May I ask why you are dressed like aReno 9-1-1reject at eight thirty-two in the morning? It’s freezing outside.”

He simply chuckled.

The sound of his laugh made her weak in the knees.

“I grew up around here. I’m used to the cold,” he added with a million-dollar smile full of teeth as white as the snow behind him. “I’m pretty sure your neighbors are getting a free show. Maybe you could let me in so they have less to talk about?”

Damn. He was right!

Ava trudged to the door and yanked it open. She growled quietly. “Fine. Come in.”

“Sure thing,” Will whispered as he stepped over the threshold.

Once the door was shut, Kuda erupted into a symphony of ferocious barks, his display of anger betrayed by his wiggly rear and adorable Pit Bull smile. Will bent at the waist to greet him. The beefy animal raced toward the stranger,jumping on his hind legs to attack the man with eager kisses.

“Worst guard dog ever.” Ava rolled her eyes.

“Dogs are better judges of character than we are. He knows I’m only here to help, don’t ya buddy?” Will grabbed the tag on the wriggling pup’s collar, read it, and snickered. “Barry Kuda? Clever.”

“I just call him Kuda.” Ava managed a smile.

Once the dog had his fill of ear scratches, Will glanced around. Ava followed his gaze, mortified by what he was seeing. Along with the clean clothes that had taken up residency on the couch, there were take-out containers cluttering the coffee table, pizza boxes, stacks of unread mail, dishes, paperwork, haphazard piles of movies, and stacks of paperbacks needing to go back in their respective spots in her bookcase. A thick layer of dust had taken up real estate on picture frames, along with the massive flat-screen television that hung on the wall opposite the couch.

“Wow, you have a party or somethin’?”

“Or somethin’,” she said lowly, avoiding the subject. “Look, you don’t have to clean. I’ll tell Madison you did, and you can leave and keep whatever she paid you. It’s nice of her to dothis, but...” At a loss for words, she gestured to his costume, “I don’t need this today.”

“Ms.Quinn,” he said, stressing her official title, “look, no disrespect intended, but I’m gonna have to send over someone in ahazmatsuit if you don’t let me clean because this place, no offense, is bordering on health hazard.” Will swiped a finger across the dusty photo frame beside the front door. It featured a torn picture in which only Ava remained, broadly smiling in a flowing white gown and veil. He looked at his fingertips and then wiped them off on the tight black pants of his costume.

Ava frowned and crossed her arms in disappointment in front of her busty chest.

“Plus,” he smiled, “if you tell your friends I cleaned your place, and it looks likethiswhen they come over, I could lose a lot of business. My reputation is on the line, Ms. Quinn. I typically cater to wealthy, lonely women, and,boy, do theytalk.”

“I assure you, I’m just messy lately,” she lied.

“Understood.”

“Fine,” she groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Fantastic.” He grinned. “Now, this costume is part of my service. I warn all clients up-front that the same rules of a gentleman’s club apply:look but don’t touch.”

Ava felt a surge of heat at the thought of the Adonis in front of her, stripping down in the privacy of her home. Flustered, she looked away bashfully.

He smiled as if her reaction to him was as expected as the morning sunrise.

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