Page 39 of Whatever You Need

She cringed. “Oh, that’s right. I’m so sorry about that. We probably should have prepared better for those questions.”

I ran my hand through my hair at the reminder. I was going to have to take a couple days off and recruit a few of my buddies to help move things along. If my brother stopped by before everything was finished, I would never hear the end of it. “I hope you know how to use a drill and hang up drywall. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

She unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out. “Let’s see what I have to work with.”

I led her into the mudroom, and we hung our coats up on the hook next to the door. I turned on the kitchen light and held my hands out. “What do you think?”

She stepped into the kitchen and looked around intently. “Marco, is that a breakfast nook?”

“Yeah,” I said, moving around the paint cans and the ladder that were up against the wall. “This place was a real fixer-upper when I bought it. I tore out the dining room and opened it all up. I bumped this room out and put the long windows in last fall. A buddy of mine is going to make the bench seats and wooden table for me to fit inside the space.”

“I love it,” she said, walking around the island in the middle of the room. “How long have you been working on this place?” I noticed that her eyes were still on the breakfast nook, and I was surprised at how excited she was about it.

“A couple of years. I started with outside and now, I’m focusing on the inside. I just finished renovating the master bedroom and bathroom this summer.”

She moved around the room, running her fingers along everything. She tapped her chin in deep thought. “Are you looking to do dark or light?”

I placed my hands on my hips and thought it over. “Well, seeing that the kitchen flows into the rest of the house, I was hoping to keep it neutral.”

She walked through the house moving her head in every direction. My living room was a mess. There were tools and leftover scraps of material scattered all around. I wanted to curse myself for not having everything cleaned up. “I have a few ideas,” she said, biting the inside of her cheek. “What if you did a soft gray paint and mixed tile backsplash underneath the kitchen cabinets? I think you could do a lot with that color palette?”

“That’s not a bad suggestion,” I said as she walked over to the slider and stared out into the backyard.

“Is that a hot tub?” She pointed to the deck.

“It sure is. Why don’t we go for a dip and brainstorm some ideas?”

She looked down at her cream blouse and black pants. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”

I rolled my eyes. “Amelia, I’ve already seen the goods.”

She picked up a throw pillow from my couch and threw it at me. “You’re such an ass.”

“The only ass I’m interested in is yours. You can leave your bra and underwear on if you want. I’ll go pour us a glass of wine and get the hot tub ready. Let me show you to my room. There is a robe hanging on the back of my door. Just strip and come out when you’re ready.” I winked and walked away before she could protest any further.

I poured us both a glass of wine and went out back and lifted the heavy cover off the hot tub. After grabbing a few towels out of the cabinet and stripping down, the bitter cold had me sinking into the water immediately. I picked my phone off the ledge and connected to Spotify as Thomas Rhett’s voice floated from the Bluetooth speakers.

I tilted my head back and allowed my muscles to relax. Seeing Antonio and Sienna was awkward and uncomfortable. It felt like opening up an old wound. Even though it no longer hurt, you still had the scar as a reminder. But if tonight proved anything, it proved that I was completely over her.

The sound of the slider opening had me tilting my head to the door. Amelia was wrapped up in my flannel robe; she looked absolutely adorable. She slid the material down her arms, set it down on the chair and tiptoed across the cold, wooden deck.

“Oh my God, the boards are freezing,” she said, sinking into the hot water.

I spread my hands out along the edge and lifted my eyebrow. “You’re awfully far away.”

She swam over, carefully keeping her head above the water. I swooped her up in my lap. Her breasts were partially visible through the lace bra that she insisted on wearing. I dragged my fingertips down the back of her neck. She shivered at the contact.

“I like having you here,” I admitted, pulling her against my chest, but our bodies were slippery, so she had to tighten her arms around me.

“I like being here. This is really nice.” Her blue eyes roamed along my deck, taking in the string of white lights I had decorating the posts. “Is this where you bring all your conquests?”

My arms stiffened at her teasing. “Actually, I don’t bring women back here because of my job. I try to stay private.”

She drew back and stared at me. The steam from the water had me closing my eyes. Her soft fingers traced along my eyebrow. “Well, don’t I feel special.”

I spread my hands along her back. “You are special, Amelia.”

Yes, I was physically attracted to her, but this was beyond physical. It was turning into something I hadn’t planned on. She wasn’t just a fling, but was I really ready to put my feelings on the line again? After all, that hadn’t worked out so well for me in the past. I had to remind myself that Amelia wasn’t Sienna.

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