Page 4 of Renovating with the Mountain Man
The night before,I couldn’t stop thinking about Phoenix. While laying down, petting my orange tabby cat, Riff Raff, my thoughts were on an endless loop.Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix.
I wanted to make her mine. I wanted to claim her, protect her, and make sure no other man touched her.
But I couldn’t scare her off, not when we had a job to do, and not when she seemed shy, like someone who could easily run in the other direction.
Seeing her standing on the curb waiting for me did something to my insides. Scrambled them all up and spit them back out at me, like some weird voo doo type shit. Is this what love did?
Turned your world upside down and inside out but only made you want it more and more?
What the hell, man. It was a mind fuck.
Even during my run this morning with my golden retriever Lemon, I couldn’t focus, nearly taking a wrong turn on a path we’d done a million times before.
Now Phoenix was here, and my thoughts became even more scrambled. I couldn’t think when she was near, my body reacting in purely physical ways, ways I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Her sweet scent filled the cab of my truck, a mixture of honey and lavender, and I wanted to bury my face in her hair. And between her legs.
Stop it.
My dick jerked to life as fantasies flooded my head. I nearly missed the turn and cut it close as my truck barreled over the dirt road.
“Shit, sorry. Nearly missed the turn there.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Phoenix said with a hint of amusement.
My girl was opening up.
“I can’t wait to see your ideas.” I nodded towards the notebook sitting in her lap.
“Only one idea, really. All the others I cut.”
“You don’t mess around, hmm?”
“Not with plants. They deserve all of our love and attention considering they pump the world with the one gas humans need for survival, oxygen.”
“That is a good point.” I said as I parked my truck in the driveway. I got the go ahead from the customers yesterday that we could swing by this morning, so they should expect us. “Here we are. Let me show you where we’ll be working. I already gutted the sunroom and started some of the renovation work. The garden will be the last thing built before any final touches are done. Tomorrow and the next day, I plan to finish the renovations and then I’ll build the garden based on what supplies you tell me. Sound good?”
“Yes. Can I help you build it?”
I paused for a moment and glanced at her. “You want to help me build the garden?”
“I enjoy making things. I’ve helped my dad a bunch of times around the house. We even built a shed together one summer.” Phoenix said, her face full of pride. Every new tidbit I discovered about her only made me like her more. I wanted to know everything.
“That’s pretty cool. Are you close with your parents?”
She nodded, a piece of her blonde hair falling in front of her eyes. She brushed it away and tucked it back into her messy bun. “Yep. I’m an only child, so it was always just them and me. My mom’s my best friend pretty much. I know, I know, kind of dorky.” She pushed her glasses up higher on her nose.
“I don’t think it’s dorky. I think it’s awesome. I lost my parents when I was young, so my Gran raised me. And she’s my best friend, too.”
“I’m so sorry for your losses. That must’ve been hard. I’m glad you had your Gran there for you. I love that she’s your best friend.” Phoenix chuckled, her face lighting up and bringing out the freckles dotted across her nose.
“Thank you. Your kind words mean a lot.” I killed the engine. “Ready to go in?”
Phoenix nodded and after I opened her door for her, we walked up the pathway, conversation still easily flowing between us. A comforting vibe flowed between us as I battled to push any fantasy type thoughts to the back of my head.
Before ringing the doorbell, I turned to face her. “Amara said you were shy, but I have to disagree. You aren’t shy with me.” I brushed a piece of her hair out from her eyes and the air between us shifted.
Phoenix looked away for a moment, but when her eyes returned to mine, a fiery passion simmered in hers. “Something about you is different.” She shrugged, and I imagined she was trying to downplay it. “I find it so easy to talk to you.”
