Page 21 of Handy

“Or whatever,” I agree with a teasing quirk of my lips. “What, you think I’m jealous of your secret admirer?”

He shrugs. “I wasn’t even sure the flowers were meant for me. I figured they were supposed to go to someone else and I got them by mistake.”

My heart gives a twinge, and I turn off the water but keep massaging his head, loving the way he leans into me without seeming to realize it, huffing happy little sounds that make me want to nibble on his lips.

“Why wouldn’t they be for you?” I shake my head and go on without giving him a chance to respond, because something tells me he could easily rattle off a list of reasons why he thinks he doesn’t deserve flowers or attention. “Anyone with half a brain should be following you around like a lovesick puppy.”

He screws his face up in confusion and then barks out a loud laugh.

“You’re…” He shakes his head just a little, as much as he can with my fingers tangled in his wet hair. “Thanks.”

Instead of saying anything, I just brush a kiss to his cheek. His eyelids flutter again, and he lets out a soft sigh.

I could stay here all night massaging his head and complimenting him, but I’m sure he’d like to get around to work at some point, and I’d really love to get around to the ‘payment’ portion of the evening. Biting back a wicked grin, I untangle my fingers from his hair and climb off of his lap.

“Come on.” I offer him my hand to help him up. “Sit there.” I point to the closed toilet, and he takes a seat.

While I trim his hair, I ask a few more questions, trying to get him to open up a little more, but it seems like maybe I’ve gotten all I’m going to out of him for one night. Like I said, that’s fine, I can certainly talk enough for two, or even three if I’m in the right mood. So I chatter away about testing the lakes for blue-green algae and the woman who swore to me she saw a grizzly bear even though there’s no evidence of grizzlies anywhere in Wisconsin.

“Maybe it was bigfoot,” he says with a shrug, his lips twitching again with an almost-smile.

I cackle. “Maybe. It’s more likely than a grizzly, honestly.”

As eager as I am to get on with the night, I take my time with his haircut. It’s obvious from the way he purrs and leans into every stroke of my fingers that he needs all the attention I’m willing to give him, and even if Griff doesn’t know or believe it yet, there’s no limit to the attention I’m willing to shower on him. I might be a bit stubborn about my choices in closed-off men at times, but there’s one thing Griff will learn about me if he gives me half a chance, and it’s that I don’t do anything halfway.

Chapter 9

GRIFF

“That was actually kindof fun,” Ledger says cheerfully, tugging his shirt up to wipe the sweat off his face after we’ve tossed the last of the damaged drywall into the now overflowing dumpster in his driveway.

My back and shoulders are aching again after another long workday, so all I can do is choke on the amusement that rises up to vibrate in my throat.

“If three hours of tearing down drywall is your idea of a good time, you must be a cheap date.”

“Oh, extremely cheap.” He laughs, his eyes dancing with humor. “Easy too.” He winks, and a lick of heat sears through me.

I don’t want toexpectanything. I definitely don’t want to ask and have him think I’m a pushy, demanding creep. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been wondering all damn day though what kind of ‘payment schedule’ Ledger had in mind for this little exchange he cooked up. Does he plan to give me a massage and a handjob after every night spent working on his house?

My cock swells in the confines of my jeans and I resist the urge to reach down to adjust myself. Ledger kind of sways towards me, bumping his shoulder against mine and then lingering there, teasing his fingertips along the inside of my forearm and resting his chin on my shoulder. The warmth of his skin tempts me to lean right back. It’s like hopping into a steaming hot shower after spending hours outside in the snow. Just being close to him feels like it’s thawing out my ice-cold skin.

I swallow hard and clench my fists involuntarily, and he drags his fingertips over the taut muscle in my forearm again. The light touch sends sparks dancing over my skin.

“I should—”

“Come back inside.” He cuts me off before I can finish, and relief swells in my chest.

I grunt in agreement. Ledger wraps his fingers around my wrist to tow me back into the house, and I’m all too happy to go. As pathetic as it sounds, I don’t think I even realized just how fucking much I missed being touched by another person until he touched me last night. I found a way to make myself numb to the needy feeling of wanting…anything. But now I can’t remember how to turn it back off and I’m fucking aching for it. Like my chest might crack wide open if he doesn’t press his body up against mine and whisper more sweet lies to me.

We stop inside the door to take our shoes off, and he stops for just a second to scratch TP behind the ears and promise her treats later, his fingers tight around my wrist the whole time, like he’s afraid I might bolt if he dares to let go. I’m sure I’m projecting though. Ledger’s sweet and kind of silly, and he likes to gas people up; that’s probably all he’s doing now without even realizing it. He’s playing into my fantasy that someone’s as desperate to touch me as I am to be touched because he’s nice like that, because somehow he can see that I need it.

He straightens back up and TP scampers off. Ledger turns towards me and studies me for a minute, cocking his head and nibbling on his bottom lip like he’s deep in thought. Shit, maybe he’s already rethinking things. Maybe last night was more than enough to satisfy his curiosity about what it would be like to hook up with his older neighbor and now he’s trying to figure out how to blow me off and still get the work done within his budget.

“We don’t have to—”

Ledger cuts me off again, this time with his lips against mine. I can taste the slight, salty tang of blood from his nervous chewing right before his tongue sweeps into my mouth. I groan in surprise, and he swallows the sound eagerly, pressing his whole body up against mine and backing me into the door. The stiff, heavy shape of his cock nudges at my own swelling erection, one of his hands still wrapped around my wrist while he tangles the other in my freshly trimmed hair.

“Do I strike you as the kind of guy who does a damn thing he doesn’t want to do?” he asks, bumping his nose against mine and quirking one eyebrow.

---