A few seconds passed and then,
Nate: I’m on my way.
***
Much sooner than Maddy had expected, her doorbell rang.
She’d had time to jump into the shower, freshen up and change into a pair of jeans and a clean sweater. Her hair had mostly dried, although the tips were still a bit wet.
She opened the door, revealing once again Nate, now twice in as many days. She’d thought that the shock would have worn off by now, but no such luck. It still felt bizarre as hell to have him standing on her doorstep.
Apparently, again holding a plastic bag.
“Is this deja-vu?” she asked as she made some room for Nate to come in.
He chuckled as he took off his shoes.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you’re here, second day in a row, holding another bag. And I remember specifically telling you not to bring anything.”
“And I heard you but my mother taught me never to go empty-handed when I’m invited somewhere.”
“I’m pretty sure you will be working off your invitation here, there’s no need for anything else. If anything, I should be the one bribing you with stuff.”
Nate turned to look at her, a searing expression in his eyes.
“You don’t need to bribe me with anything, Mads, I’m happy to be here.”
Okay, so maybe she hadn’t totally recovered because then how could she explain the sudden dizziness?
“But,” he continued, a sexy smirk slowly emerging, “if you want to bribe me, then please bribe away.”
Maddy knew she was very close to swallowing her tongue but two could play this game.
“Na-uh, today I’m simply going to enjoy whatever it is you had in mind.”
And just like that, Nate’s smirk turned lethal, his body slightly swaying towards her.
“I have a lot of things in mind, Madison, but I’m just going to stick with what’s in the bag for now,” he said in a low voice before he took a step back and headed into the kitchen.
She had been ready to follow him but he was already reappearing by her side.
“Um, what–”
“Don’t worry about that. First, tell me what you need help with.”
She should have been embarrassed being caught staring at him but she was long past that point. Now she was rolling with it.
“Okay, you asked for it.”
Walking into the living room, she proceeded to show him the boxes that held everything needed to assemble the caramel-colored bookcase and shelves she’d purchased.
They worked side by side, him doing all the heavy and important work, she just bringing him what he needed, offering moral support, and getting him water and juice to keep him happy. A playlist was playing softly in the background, shuffling some of her all-time favorite songs from too many different genres but it somehow worked with what they were doing.
“So how come you decided to change things up in your place?” Nate asked while screw-driving a piece of wood into some sort of base. She was momentarily distracted by the way his arms strained holding everything in place.
What had he asked her?
