“Sounds like a good, strong name.” Pointing to the door, she said, “Can you fix it?”
Ronan stepped into the apartment and swung the door. Then he closed it as far as he could until it stuck. “I think so. Shouldn’t take long.”
He left the door open and stepped around Chloe to grab his bucket of tools that he’d left by her door. Chloe leaned against the stair rail and watched him pull out tools.
“You can go back to your place.”
“You sure?”
“Why? Is your neighbor a serial killer or something?”
She chuckled. “No. You need anything?”
“Nope.”
“Okay.” She moved back to her place. Before settling back on the floor to pack her orders, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer for Ronan. She popped the top and set it next to his bucket.
“Thanks.”
As she backed away, she watched the muscles of his forearms flex. His biceps bulged as he shaved the edge of the door. Watching him do his job should not act as an aphrodisiac, but her hormones argued otherwise. Reclaiming her space on the floor, she stuffed envelopes and affixed labels. She heard the occasional grunt or bang from the hall, but otherwise, Ronan kept busy.
When she had her box ready to take to the post office, she got off the floor, her butt sore from sitting there so long. She stretched and went to the kitchen to see if she had something she could make for dinner. She hadn’t gone grocery shopping for a while since she ate at work most nights. Yeah, nothing of substance appeared.
A thump at her door had her rushing over. She swung the door open to see Ronan balancing a dish in one hand and his bucket of tools in the other.
“Hurry up and let me in before she comes up with another job.”
Chloe stepped back. “What do you mean another?”
He dropped his tools near her coat hook. “Look. Your neighbor is nice. Sent me off with a plate of food that smells delicious, but holy shit she wanted me to work for it.”
Chloe cringed. “Sorry.”
“No big deal. Now we have dinner.”
“That’s good because I have nothing to cook here. I was about to order something.”
He set the dish on her counter. When he turned back, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really grimy between the dirt from the job and sweat. You don’t want to rub up on this.”
“Then put that dinner in the oven to stay warm while we shower. We’ll get you all cleaned up.” She backed away from him and pulled her tank top over her head.
Ronan fumbled takingoff his boots as he watched Chloe strip on her way to the bathroom. He wanted to tell her to watch herself around the Cahills, give her a similar warning to the one she’d given him. But seeing her sweet ass walk away from him made all thoughts of the Cahills disappear. In the bathroom, he dropped his dirty, sweaty clothes in a pile in the corner.
Chloe already had the water running, but she stood near the sink, waiting for him. He stepped into the tub and under the spray. The showerhead was nice but not nearly as good as the view of her standing naked outside the tub.
“You coming in or what?”
“I was just wondering how we’re both going to fit in there.”
“I’ll make room.” He soaped up quickly.
She stepped into the tub. She’d pulled her hair up into a pile on her head. The water splashed off his shoulders and into her face, causing her to squint. He angled the water a little more. “Come here,” he said, pulling her against his warm skin.
He kissed her deeply, cradling her ass in his palms. She moaned into his mouth. They played with each other’s bodies, toying, teasing, but he realized that unfortunately, one of them would probably end up hurt if they tried to fuck in the small space. Her fingers wrapped around his dick and she stroked him. He spun them and pressed her against the wall. With one hand, he pinched a nipple and his other sought out the wet heat of her pussy.
They drove each other over the edge and stood panting, bodies brushing as the water grew cold. He reached behind her and twisted the knob to turn off the water.
“Next time we shower together, it’ll be at my house where I have room to maneuver.”
“Who said there’ll be a next time?” she asked with a saucy grin as she stepped from the tub and wrapped a towel around herself.
“We both know that we’re not done with each other yet.”
“Good point. I would offer you something to wear, but,” She waved a finger at him. “I doubt I have anything that would fit. Use a towel and I’ll run these to the laundry.”
He wanted to protest. It seemed silly that she should do his clothes, but the idea of climbing back into those smelly things didn’t appeal to him at all. “Thanks. I’ll get dinner set up.”
She disappeared into her bedroom and returned wearing a fresh T-shirt and shorts and carrying a laundry basket that already had clothes in it.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to mix my work clothes with your stuff.”
“Why? Do you have cooties?”
“I don’t want your clothes to get ruined.”
“It’s just my work clothes. Jeans and Black Rose shirts. A little dirt won’t do any damage. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He walked out of the bathroom with a fluffy towel wrapped around his hips. In the kitchen, he pulled the dinner from the oven and went into the cabinets to find plates. He served up the kabobs that smelled amazing. His stomach rumbled and he popped a piece of tender meat in his mouth. Damn, that was good. If Chloe didn’t hurry, he might devour all of it.
He heard the door click shut, so he carried their plates into the living room so they could sit on the couch. He nudged a box of packages out of the way. “What’s this?”
“Those are the cross-stitch orders from my online shop I need to ship out.”
He handed her a plate and held the knot of the towel as he sat.