Page 52 of Capri

She’s already on the move, making her way into my laundry room and tossing the dirty clothes into the machine before handing me a broom to get started. “It’s a good thing you don’t get a say in what I choose to do onmyvacation.” She smiles fiercely. “Little do you know, I love a good deep cleaning day.”

Lost in thought, I start sweeping up the sand, gathering it into a large pile, but I’m not done yet. No, I have more to say. “You should go to the wine tasting. I’m in a shit mood anyway.”

Capri stands in front of me, looking lethal in her confidence. “Nothing a little music can’t cure. Besides, we can get this cleaned and then you can work on dirtying me up after.” She winks before shoving a bottle of bleach and a cleaning rag in my hand. “You get the bathrooms,” she directs me and turns to get started on the kitchen.

So, this is what it feels like to have a woman in my home.

I never would have asked her to help me with this. But it seems she’s leaving me with no other choice but to accept it.

Deep down, I’m grateful. And despite how I’ve been feeling today, the idea of doing dirty things to Capri later makes me hustle like a madman to get those bathrooms looking pristine.

After all, I have always worked best under pressure.

* * *

“See,that didn’t take long at all.”

Surely, I misunderstood her. “Capri, that took five hours.”

She waves me off before taking a sip of her water. “But look how great your place looks now. Not a speck of sand in sight.” She grins, proud of our hard work.

Little does she know, I’ll miss that small speck of sand. The sand that instantly reminded me of the best day with her.

I’ll appease her, though, because as much as I didn’t want to spend my limited time with her cleaning, the penthouse has never looked so good.

Shit. The floors are practically sparkling.

“You killed it, sweetheart,” I praise her, just thankful for the fact that she’s here. It seems she’s exactly what I needed today.

“Wekilled it.”

Yeah, we did.The more time I spend around Capri, the more I realize she’s much more than a beautiful woman who can satisfy me in bed.

She’s caring and thoughtful. I still can’t believe she spent her entire morning helping me clean my house.

In all fairness, I didn’t think about my father or work once during the full five hours. It was a nice escape. Relaxing on the couch now is also something I need. I can’t remember the last time I did absolutely nothing without planning what’s next.

“This is nice,” I admit, pointing between Capri and I on the couch. She’s lounged back with a blanket thrown over her and has never looked more at home.

I haven’t been casual with a woman like this since college.

She sends me a small smile, and I can tell something’s on her mind. “It is. Sorry for showing up unannounced.”

I lean forward, resting my arms on my thighs, fully content just watching her. The way her little nose scrunches when she finds something amusing. And how she gets lost in a fit of giggles before she finishes a joke.

I’m noticing things about Capri I shouldn’t be.

Seeing her in my space is fucking with me.

My eyes train in on her. “No need to apologize. I’m glad you came, actually.”

“Yeah?” Her voice perks up.

I nod. “Shitty mood, remember?”

“Need to talk about it?” she asks, delicate dimples gracing her face. “I’m a really good listener.”

Do I want to talk about it? Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never had anyone ask me that. Never had anyone willing to listen, I guess.