Page 8 of Handy

A rapid pounding on my back door makes me jump.

“Motherfucker,” I hiss, missing my mug and accidentally pouring hot coffee over my hand. The knocking just keeps goingwithout pause and my pulse spikes. Shit, maybe Ledger is having some other major emergency. I can’t imagine who else would be knocking at my back door.

I grab a rag to wipe my hand dry and haul ass to answer the knocking. I can see Ledger through the glass before I even reach it, streaks of plaster still in his hair, a towel slung over his shoulder, and a huge smile on his face. He bounces on his toes, continuing to knock even after he sees me. I sweep my gaze over the rest of him as I near the door. He looks like he’s dressed in what he sleeps in—a pair of loose-fitting athletic shorts and a t-shirt with a crow on it that says, “crows before bros.” He doesn’t look injured, and a quick glance behind him at his house tells me it’s still standing and not on fire or anything.

He gestures impatiently as I move the wooden stick out of the door and flick the lock open.

“What’s—” I start to grumble, but he grabs my arm and yanks me through the doorway.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry. You’re going to miss it.”

“Miss what?” I frown, looking longingly at the coffee I abandoned on the counter. The glee written all over Ledger’s face has laid to rest any of my worries, leaving me a little annoyed that my morning routine has been interrupted.

Maybe saving him from that burst pipe yesterday was a mistake. Now he thinks we’re friends. Years of leading a carefully curated hermit lifestyle and I go and ruin it in a single afternoon.

“Cranes,” he says gleefully, dragging me through the backyard. The dew from the grass clings to my bare feet and sends a chill through me in spite of the heat of the morning. “Whooping cranes. They must have nested in that wetland area just outside of the neighborhood.”

“Cranes?” I repeat blandly. I’m missing out on my peaceful morning routine of drinking my coffee in silence for large birds?

“Don’t say it like that,” he chides. “It’s so cool, you’ll see. They have two babies and oh my god, there they are.” We come to an abrupt stop in his front yard and directly across the street there are four birds, two adults and two babies. One of the adults makes a loud sound and flaps its wings, not leaving the ground but puffing itself up in an attempt to scare us off.

“Oh shit,” I mutter.

“So cool, right?” Ledger gushes. “You can tell they’re whooping cranes and not Sandhill cranes by the red crown. They’re very territorial, which is why they must be nesting nearby, especially if they’re here with their colts. Did you know that whooping cranes are the rarest species of crane in the world? It wasn’t that long ago their population was down to only twenty birds in the entire world. They’re making a comeback though. Well, kind of anyway. There’s still only an estimated six hundred or so, all descended from the same flock.”

He clutches my arm as he rambles, leaning into me like it’s a totally natural thing to do. He’s clearly a very touchy-feely guy, I’m sure it is a totally normal thing for him to do without even thinking about it. It shouldn’t be making my whole body tingle and my heart race, but, fuck, it feels so damn good just to have someone’s hands on me in such a casual way.

The other crane makes a loud whooping noise, and they usher the babies—colts, apparently—away, disappearing behind the house across the street. Ledger sighs happily and then lets go of my arm and turns towards me with a beaming smile.

“See? Aren’t you glad I dragged you out here?”

I frown, not sure how to answer that. But my lack of response doesn’t seem to faze him. He pulls the towel off his shoulder and shakes it out, then drapes it around his neck.

“So, this might be an awkward request, but I don’t have any water right now and I was wondering if you would mind me using your shower?”

“Oh.” I frown a little harder. I didn’t even think about how inconvenient it would be to leave him without running water for twenty-four hours. I should have run to the hardware store last night and bought the pipe to replace the rusted-through portion. “Yeah, of course.”

“You’re amazing. You’re my knight in shining armor, my guardian angel, my savior.”

Heat rises in my cheeks at his over-the-top praise.

“No problem,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck and dipping my head so he won’t see me blushing.

Ledger continues to chatter away with way too much enthusiasm for this early, especially pre-coffee, and we make our way back around through the backyard and into my house. I slide the door closed behind us and the back of my neck prickles with awareness at the realization that it’s been a long damn time since anyone but me has been in this house. I keep it clean, so it’s not that I’m embarrassed about him seeing it, it’s more that I feelexposedhaving someone in my space.

I shift awkwardly and rub the back of my neck again.

“The bathroom is right through there.” I point to the hallway off the living room that leads to the bathroom and my bedroom. “Help yourself to whatever you need.”

“Thanks. Seriously, you’re a lifesaver.” He rakes his fingers through his flat, plaster-streaked hair and lingers for a second justlookingat me. If having him stand inside my house felt exposing, his probing hazel eyes on me make it feel like I’m being stripped bare.

I swallow hard, and then he smiles and finally turns to head to the shower. I let out a breath, my shoulders sagging as I reach down to adjust my stiff, aching cock. I hear the bathroom door click closed behind him, followed by the sound of the shower. I make my way into the kitchen to finally have my coffee.

Thoughts of Ledger’s naked body flood directly to the front of my mind and my blood heats in my veins. I wonder again if he meant his offer to trade sex for handiwork, or if he was just flirting or joking last night.

Fuck, I hope he was serious about it.

LEDGER

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