Page 26 of Firecracker

She’d show him.

Chapter Six

Tyler grabbed his phone where he’d set it and ended the music, which he’d cranked up since he was alone. Silence descended around them as he bent to sweep up the last of the dust and chunks of plaster and tile on the bathroom floor. The floor that was now stripped down to plywood, in the room that was bare studs and wires.

He’d accomplished a lot while Arden had been out. And now he was almost done cleaning up for the day.

He tucked his phone in the back pocket of his jeans, and bent to pick up one of the heavy totes. Arden’s gaze tracked up and down his abs and chest, then moved over his arms and shoulders. She swallowed.

He fought back a grin. Arden liked what she saw.Yesssss.

Other women had complimented his body. He worked out regularly at the station, as did most of the guys. Strength was important for their job.

“I’ll get rid of all this stuff.” He held up the tote. Her gaze dropped to his biceps and he flexed a little more than was necessary to lift the tote. “And then I’ll be out of your way for a few days.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

He carried the tote box out and down the stairs, then out the back door to the dumpster in the lane.

She’d found a job. Waitressing. At Shenanigans. Jesus.

Well, like he’d said, it could be worse. She could have gone a little farther down the road and ended up working at Cherry’s. The “gentleman’s club” wasnotwhere he (or Jamie—or her parents, for fuck’s sake) would want her working.

Yes, Shenanigans was a better choice, but hell…waitressing?

He swiped sweat off his forehead with his forearm and made more trips up and down the stairs to carry out all the crap he’d ripped out of the bathroom. This was his workout for the day. It felt good.

It had also felt good when Arden had given him that look, like she’d been impressed…and maybe a little turned on.

Kind of like how he’d felt that morning he’d walked in on her in the bathroom. And that day at the beach. And…well, pretty much every time he set eyes on her.

Fuck, what was he thinking? Yeah, he’d had a crush on her. But that was a long time ago. Also she was Jamie’s sister. There was no way she was going to see him as anything more than her little brother’s friend, and it would make things very messy for them to get involved in any way. It couldn’t happen. He needed to shut that shit down.

He returned to her apartment one last time. She was unpacking some shopping bags in her kitchen. Apparently she’d stopped to pick up groceries.

“If you want to make a bigger run to a grocery store, I can drive you.”

She looked up. “Oh, thank you. But that’s okay.”

“No, seriously.” He walked over and set his hands on the edge of the island separating them. “I like to go to Whole Foods. I’ll take you next time I go. And on Saturday, the farmers’ market is pretty cool.”

She met his eyes. Hers were alight with interest. Ah. He’d tempted her with grocery shopping. Interesting. And yet he sensed she wanted to reject his offer.

“It’s not a big deal,” he said, holding her gaze.

She dropped her eyes to the big container of Greek yogurt she’d pulled out of a bag. “I’m trying to do this on my own.”

“Why?” He frowned. “You’re not alone. Your brother’s here. We’re his friends and we’re here for you too.”

“I just…” She bit her lip and turned to the fridge. “I made a mess of my life in Phoenix. I want to prove that I can get back on track. By myself.”

He studied her slender back, her long dark hair hanging all shiny down it, her very grabbable ass displayed in snug jeans. She’d made a mess of her life? Her husband had died, so yeah, obviously she’d been having a rough time, but… “How’d you make a mess of your life?”

She didn’t turn at his question, just bent to put the yogurt away. Oh man, she did that…putting that ass on display. Then she straightened and closed the fridge door. “It’s a long story.”

Okay, he got that message loud and clear. She didn’t want to talk about it. It made curiosity burn behind his sternum, but he wasn’t going to be an asshole. “Well, you ever wanna talk about it, I’m a good listener.” He kept his tone casual.

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