The whole area was rotten and would need ripping out. But for the time being, I’d need to tear up the two surrounding boards to get his ankle free. “You have tried to get it out, right?” I felt like a jackass for asking, but it was always best to check first.
Carter huffed out a breath. “Yeah, I did. It’s wedged against something. I tried pulling it out, but it’s a no go. It’s tighter than a virgin ass.”
My gaze whipped to his.What the fuck?With lifted brows, I stared wide-eyed at him, drawing another blush from him.
“Shoot, sorry. That was inappropriate.” His eyes widened in horror. “I meant, it’s wedged. Erm. It’s just wedged tight, and—”
I grinned. “It’s all good. Give me a sec.” The poor guy looked like he wanted to join his foot in the space under the floorboards and curl over. He needed an out, and I needed to get some air in my lungs away from his intoxicating smell and firm thighs, which were impossible to ignore in such close proximity.
The guy was attractive. I’d taken note immediately but pushed the knowledge aside. Work and eyeing up hot guys or potential clients was never a smart move.
I stood and headed down the stairs, throwing over my shoulder, “Let me just get a couple of tools.”
“Okay. Thanks.” His voice was low, awkwardness still evident. I wondered if he was trying to recover from his ass reference, and couldn’t help but wonder if it’d been intentional, to test the waters, or Christ, perhaps it was just his sense of humor. Either way, my interest was piqued.
With the freshair came clarity. There was no way I could risk a job of this size and this potential cash for the sake of getting blown. As much as his dark brown eyes had captured my attention and stirred me to life, there were other places I could visit to get an itch scratched if I was that desperate. Admittedly, it would be a lengthy drive to get there, but Davis’s words were still in my mind from the previous night.
Refocused and determined not to react to the insanely sexy cut of Carter’s jaw, I kneeled by his foot—after throwing him a towel to cover his groin, which I may have given a lingering glance—and began the task of freeing his foot. In less than five minutes, I had him released. His ankle was swollen and grazed, but declaring himself a veterinarian—whatever that had to do with human bones I had no clue—Carter was sure it was just bruised and sprained.
I helped him up, acutely aware that I held my breath when I clasped him close to steady him. He was virtually the same height as me, just shy a couple of inches from my six two. The perfect height for any angle. Mentally smacking myself around my head, I dragged my overeager thoughts out of the gutter and helped him to his room.
“Thanks, Tanner. I’m good. I should be all right to sort myself out and get down the stairs.”
I nodded but wasn’t convinced as I hovered in the open doorway. It had nothing to do with him being perched on the bed wrapped in a small towel, most of his body on display. I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds, giving myself time to sort my crap out. Once opened, his eyes were on my chest before landing on my face and connecting with mine. I cleared my throat. “Sure. Do you want me to have a quick look around the place while you’re dressing? I’ll make some notes from what I can see, and then downstairs you can talk me through anything else.”
He smiled, and I wished he hadn’t. I’d had plenty of quick fucks in my time, and a couple of serious relationships, but Carter was something else. Clean-cut, and so not my usual type, as I tended to go for rough and rugged, but when he smiled my gut lurched and my dick sprung to life.
“That would be great, thanks. I’m sure I’d hold you up hobbling. And don’t get me wrong, I can see you’re sporting some guns there, but I wouldn’t have thought you’d want to be carrying me around.” His grin widened, and he laughed. It was surprisingly deep and absolutely genuine.
“Right.” Like a deer in headlights, I froze a moment then pussied on out of there, not taking the bait. If that was what it was. Fuck, I was so confused by everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes or so. “Err, just shout if you need me.” I pulled the door closed behind me, or at least attempted to. It wouldn’t latch shut.
It was going to be a long list and a painful meeting. My thoughts were too focused on picking Carter up and holding him close as I bucked into him. The possibility drifted to the forefront of my mind.Fuck. I’m screwed.
It tookme forty-five minutes to look around Carter’s place. I made enough notes of fixes to keep me going for at least five months. A lot of the work I’d be able to manage myself, but I’d need some outside contractors in to sort a few of the jobs too. That was if he liked my quote.
I stepped into the kitchen where he stood in front of a high-tech coffee machine. My heavy boots scuffed the floor, and he swung his head in my direction. There went that Adam’s apple again, dipping and bobbing as he swallowed. It was as if he were feasting on me, or so went my sordid imagination.
“So, um, you want one?” Nervousness caught his voice as he gave a delayed dip of his head toward the machine. I frowned, not liking the sound in his voice. I considered my appearance next to his. While I was only a little taller, it was almost like I was his opposite in every way—including appearance. Not having shaved in a week, more out of a lack of care than a fashion statement, I knew I looked a little rough around the edges. My steel-gray eyes could come across as hard and intimidating, or so said one of my exes. Yeah, he was an ex for a reason.
While I knew Carter was trim, with the body of an athlete, I was more toned from hard labor. I didn’t work out, and I also liked a beer or sometimes five along with greasy food, so while I didn’t look like one of the hot guys I’d sometimes hand fuck over, without my clothes, I was pretty confident most men liked what they saw.
I found my voice. “Sure. Black, thanks.”
He nodded, his gaze moving away. Surprise flittered through me when I released a deep breath, not realizing I was so affected by his scrutiny.
I looked around and headed to the stool in front of a countertop that had seen better days. “So, how long have you been here?”
He turned, carrying one mug, and limped over. I made to stand, offering to help but he dismissed me with a small smile and a shake of his head.
“Six months.”
Damn. He’d been living in this shithole for half a year? I was surprised he only had a limp and wasn’t battered and bruised by the potential death traps in this place. “Wow.” I nodded and cleared my throat. Not one to hold back, I continued, “How’d you come about this place?”
After placing my drink in front of me, he turned, hobbled over to get his own mug, and then finally sat beside me. I turned to angle myself toward him, acutely aware my legs were now in his space and a few inches from grazing his thighs.
He took a sip of his frothy coffee and licked the foam off his top lip. I clenched my jaw, willing myself to stop being a horny prick. “It was my grandfather’s place.” He angled toward me and shrugged one shoulder. “He sort of let the place get away from him. I’ve felt pretty crappy about the whole thing. I knew it was bad when I was a kid, but I was so busy in school and then work that I rarely came by to check on him. It didn’t help that he was a mean old man, but hey, family, right?” His blush came back as his eyes widened. Oversharing could be a bitch sometimes, often falling free without intending it. I got it. Never did it myself, but understood it happened.
I nodded in understanding and took a gulp of my cooling coffee. It was surprisingly good considering it came from a machine designed to impress rather than produce a good cup of caffeine.
