Page 27 of Anger Banger

“Is it warm in here?” Rita asks innocently, tucking a lock of gray hair behind her ear. “I was chilly.”

Her words barely register. Cooper has his back to us, and my eyes are glued to his broad shoulders and flexing muscles as he works. So much damp skin. A leather toolbelt hangs around his waist, pulling his pants down slightly, not enough to show his ass, but close.

He turns, and my stomach clenches at the slight V that disappears beneath the tool belt.

“Maren,” he says, and I drag my gaze up to his smirk. How many times is this man going to catch me ogling him?

“Yeah, I’m Maren. I mean, I’m here.” Wonderful. Lust has fried my brain.

“As much as I hate to go, I have a doctor’s appointment,” Rita tells me. “Don’t let anyone else inside. I don’t want anything to get broken.”

“I understand.” Following her down the hall, I add, “Do you mind if I turn the heat off?”

“Suit yourself,” she chuckles. “He sweats real pretty though.”

He sure does but that’s not what I need to see right now. After she leaves, I double check that the door is locked and turn her thermostat down. Hammering continues down the hall while I sit at her kitchen table to return a few phone calls to tenants. May as well get some work done.

Something needs to distract me from the thought of him back there, sweaty and swinging that hammer. I know damn well he’d be good at wielding his other tool too, knew it from the moment I saw him. I picked the wrong day to try these damn panties out. It’s a teasing torture.

After a few minutes, Cooper calls out, “Can you help me for a second?”

Nope. No. Absolutely not.

“Maren!” he calls when I don’t respond.

Why did I take this job again? Oh yeah, the money and hours. “Okay,” I reply, the irritation clear in my voice.

The hole in the subfloor has been closed, but I hesitate to walk on the bare plywood until he adds, “It’s fine. You won’t hurt anything. I’m not laying the carpet until tomorrow.”

He’s still shirtless. “I cut the heat off.”

“Old lady tried to roast me alive,” he chuckles. “The window in here is nailed shut.” He isn’t sweaty anymore, but his shirt remains slung over the door.

“What do you need?”

“An extra hand for a minute to put up these batten strips. Just hold them up while I nail them in.” A pile of strips lies nearby.

He scoops up a handful of nails while I bend down to pick up one of the tan strips. The curse of shallow pockets that women deal with every day rears its head as the remote to the vibrating panties tumbles to the floor. It slides right up against the heel of his work boot.

He didn’t see it fall, but he heard it and he plucks it up before I have a chance to grab it. “Did you drop this?”

“No!” Perfect. Really convincing. “That’s not mine.”

He takes a closer look at it and flips it over. A grin tilts his lips while his eyebrows inch upward. No. There’s nothing on it that says sex toy, only a heart stamped onto the back. The buttons have symbols, an up and down arrow for speed, and a few wavy lines for pulse patterns. There’s no way that he knows what it controls.

The taunting look he gives says otherwise. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Do you want to get this done or not?” I snap, holding up the strip.

“Okay.” My relief that he didn’t push any buttons is cut short when he tucks the remote into his pocket. “Let me get it lined up.”

He steps up right next to me and moves the strip against the wall, along the crease between panels. When I turn to face the wall, he lays his large hand over mine, guiding it to the right spot to pin the strip in place. “One hand up here, high as you can.” Heat radiates from his body and his thigh touches mine while he takes my other hand and slides it down the strip. “The other right here,” he instructs.

My breath heats up and the toy between my legs becomes a lot more noticeable.

“That’s good. Just like that,” he murmurs.

That’s not dirty. He’s not talking dirty or trying to turn me on. It’s in my head because I’m already on edge. He reaches over my head to hammer in a nail, his hip brushing mine. When he does, the vibrator comes to life. My entire body jerks on a sharp breath.

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