Page 13 of Handy

I look away again, diverting my attention to the ceiling where there’s no risk of getting burned if I accidentally let myself look too long. I clear my throat.

“No way. You offered, so I’m putting you to work.” I set the pipe down on the floor next to the tarped couch and put my toolbox next to it. “First things first, we need to rip down the rest of the ceiling, then I’ll cut and replace that rusted pipe. That should be a good start for tonight and I’ll be able to get your water turned back on.”

Ledger rubs his hands together and nods, a look of determination coming over his face. “Right. Let’s do this.”

I pop back out to my truck to grab a ladder while Ledger runs to his garage to do the same. When we meet back inside, I give him a mask, goggles, and an extra hard hat, and then I show him how do it. The ceiling is so damaged it doesn’t take much to pull it down in large chunks. I dismantle the light fixtures and use a handsaw to cut around the joists, and he follows behind me, using his hands to tear each chunk of waterlogged plasterboard down.

“This is actually kind of fun,” he says, gleefully ripping a piece down and flinging it to the floor with a flick of his wrist like he’s throwing a frisbee.

“Are you always this easily entertained?” I ask dryly.

“No, but there’s nothing good on TV these days,” he snarks back.

I growl another laugh.

“So, tell me about yourself, Griff,” he says while we work.

I grunt. What the hell does he want me to say? He knows where I live and that I work in construction, what else is there?

“What are you passionate about?”

The question catches me so off guard that I nearly lose my footing on the ladder. I frown behind my mask and grunt again. Passion? Christ, how long has it been since I’ve felt something in the ballpark of passion? Maybe it’s better if we just don’t talk. Would it be rude of me to run over and grab my smart speaker to bring back so we can just listen to music while we work instead?

“I get it,” he says, as if I answered his question rather than grunting and grumbling like a mute asshole. “Sometimes it’s hard enough to just get through the day, let alone find things to be passionate or excited about. I think it’s important though. We’re not worker bees, it’s not enough to just be busy and productive, we need things to make us happy too.”

I hum noncommittally and cut another segment for him to work on.

“All animals enjoy leisure activities, even birds.” He chatters away, undeterred by my lack of response. Maybe it’s not so bad, as long as he doesn’t expect me to have anything to contribute. “Did you know that ducks will find spots with small rapids and ride them like a roller coaster? When they get to the drop-off, they’ll fly back to the start and ride it all over again.” There’s something kind of soothing about the way Ledger’s able to carry on a one-sided conversation. I chuckle under my breath, imagining ducks riding on rough water like they’re at an amusement park for waterfowl. “Gulls will find inedible objects that they’ll carry high into the air, then drop and swoop to catch them before they hit the ground. And a lot of different species enjoy aerial acrobatics, flying upside down or in loops to amuse themselves.”

“You think I should take up white water rafting to spice up my life?” I tease in a deadpan voice.

Ledger chuckles. “Sure. If that’s what gets your blood pumping, I say go for it.”

“Mm,” I hum again. I don’t have the first damn clue what gets my blood pumping these days, but maybe he’s right. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make an effort to find some more fun and excitement in my life. I get to the last joist and glance over my shoulder at him. The fact that I’m here with the promise of things getting physical later has to count as a positive step in that direction, doesn’t it?

LEDGER

I wore my practically see-through tank top, blatantly flirted, and hit him with tons of excellent bird facts. If Griff isn’t seduced yet then I really don’t know what else to do. Maybe a few more bird facts just to be safe?

“Did you know that even though swans are well known for life-long, monogamous pair bonds that it’s not uncommon for black swans in particular to be polyamorous, either in a long-term throuple or with two bonded males welcoming in a different female each mating season to reproduce with?” I pull down the last chunk of ceiling and toss it onto the large pile I made. I really should have thought ahead and ordered a dumpster.

“Uh, no, I didn’t know that,” Griff says, climbing down from the ladder, pulling off his hard hat, and using his forearm to wipe some of the sweat off his forehead. He ends up with plaster dust streaked across his forehead and clinging to his hair. Would it be weird to run my fingers through it just to see if he’ll purr like a cat?

He puts his hat back on and I wipe my hands on my jeans and climb down from my ladder too.

“Alright, the good news is that the rest of the pipes look like they’re in decent shape still.”

I let out a relieved breath. I didn’t realize it, but I was definitely holding on to a worry in the back of my head that he was going to tell me they were all rusted through.

“Halle-fucking-lujah.” I make a prayer gesture with my hands.

“So all that’s left tonight is for me to cut out that section of rusted pipe and replace it. There isn’t anything for you to help with during this part, so feel free to have a seat and enjoy watching me sweat and grunt for a few minutes.” He winks, and I swear to god my knees wobble.

My bird facts totally worked. And oh my god, why is he so cute when he flirts?Alright, Ledgie, don’t hyperventilate, he’ll think you’re a total weirdo.If he thought I was joking about enjoying the show though, he can definitely guess again. While he rummages in his toolbox, I hurry into the kitchen to grab a chair, dragging it back into the living room and placing it a safe distance away from the work zone. I take off my mask and goggles and have a seat, spreading my legs and slouching comfortably with my arms crossed over my chest.

Griff arches an eyebrow at me, and I grin, putting one hand on the soft bulge of my cock and holding his gaze.

“You said I could enjoy the show.”

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