Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(20)

He dragged a chair from the dining room into the kitchen. “Do you have any buckets?”

“Why? What are you going to do?”

“Drain the water.” He pulled the trigger on the drill and it buzzed a few times.

I looked up. “You’re going to drill holes in my ceiling?”

“Holes are easier to fix than a bunch of water damage. We need to get the water out of there.”

I didn’t have any buckets but made a mental note to get one. Or several? How many buckets did a homeowner need? Instead, I rooted through the cupboards and found some mixing bowls.

“Will these work?”

“Hope so.” He climbed onto the chair. “But you might want to get some towels too. I’ll drill next to the spots where it’s dripping so just put the bowls where you see water splashes.”

I tried not to wince as he placed the bit against the ceiling and started drilling. I set a bowl on the floor to catch the water and sure enough, as soon as he’d drilled through, a stream of water poured into the bowl.

It wasn’t going to be big enough, so I stood by with a fresh bowl, ready to replace it when the first one got too full.

Dex got down and moved the chair a few feet to the left.

“Do you have to drill in more than one place? Won’t the water just drain right here?”

“It’s pooling across too wide of an area.” He climbed on the chair and aimed the drill. “There’s no slope in the ceiling to get the water to run to one spot.”

I grabbed another bowl and set it beneath him just in time to catch the stream of water. “Lovely.”

I replaced the first bowl and dumped the water in the sink while he drilled another hole. Water continued streaming from the ceiling while he drilled two more.

“How much water was in there?” he asked as he climbed down from the chair.

“It’s a big tub.”

“It looks like it’s starting to slow down, but I should go check and make sure it’s just from the tub and you don’t have a broken pipe or something.”

He went upstairs and I made sure the bowls didn’t overflow, but the water seemed to finally be running out. The first hole had slowed to a drip and the second wasn’t quite such a steady stream.

“I’m going to test a few things,” he called from upstairs. “Yell if the leaking gets worse.”

I waited, my eyes on the ceiling. Another of the holes stopped streaming water and the first one barely dripped. I heard the sound of the sink upstairs. Nothing happened.

“Still good down there?”

“I think so.”

The toilet flushed and I winced at the thought of that water leaking through the ceiling. Especially into my kitchen. I might have to move out.

But nothing happened.

“Still okay?”

“Nothing changed.”

He didn’t answer, so I went upstairs to see what else he’d found—if anything. He stood with his hands on the sides of the tub, bent over at the waist. Not a bad view.

“Well?” I asked.

“I can’t tell much without ripping up the floor.” He straightened and turned. “But it looks like it was probably just the tub. Is the water stopping?”

“It seems to be.”

“That’s good at least. Just don’t use the tub again until you get a plumber out here.”

“Fair enough.” I brushed my hair over one shoulder. “Thanks for coming over. I guess it looked more alarming than it was.”

“No problem.”

His drill was sitting on the counter but he didn’t move to pick it up. He just stood there with his eyes lingering on my mouth.

This was interesting. Not a precise reenactment of any of my sex dreams, but it certainly brought them to mind. The heat between us was undeniable and my body lit up at the possibilities.

A night with Dex? Yes, please.

“I should go.” He grabbed the drill and stepped toward the door. “Riley’s um… sleeping at a friend’s house.”

“You could stay for a bit.” I lifted one shoulder with an air of casual indifference. “Have a glass of wine.”

“I need to get back.”

“Dex.” I stepped closer and met his gaze. “You should stay.”

His eyes ate me alive—deep blue and simmering with lust. He wanted me.

The feeling was mutual.

My lips curved in a smile and I inched closer, tilting my chin up, inviting his kiss.

For a second, I was convinced he was going to take me up on my offer. My nerve endings tingled with the anticipation of those big hands and all that rough stubble. But instead of dipping his head to put his mouth on mine, his body stiffened and he moved back.

“Look, I don’t want to make this awkward, but I’m not um… not interested.”

Stepping away, I blinked in surprise. Although I wasn’t insulted. I was curious.

Because he was lying.

My ego wasn’t so large that I assumed every man I met would want to take me to bed. That wasn’t why I knew he was lying. I could see the deception in his eyes. He was working just as hard to convince himself as he was to convince me.

I brushed my hair back from my face. “Sorry, I must have misread the situation.”

“I can give you the name of a good plumber if you need one.” His voice was gruff and he brushed past me, giving me a tantalizing whisper of his scent. Deliciously male.