I arched a brow in his direction. “Did you get a plumbing license that I don’t know about?”
He chuckled. “I can fix a leaky pipe. I’m not totally helpless.”
“I don’t know. Those hands look pretty pampered to me.”
It was a lie. I’d felt the calluses when Caden took my hand as we walked to Dockside. It made me wonder what they were from these days. He used to horseback ride weekly with Clara and go rock climbing with Nash—plus a million other things that would leave those kinds of marks behind. But I wasn’t sure what they were from now, and I hated that.
Caden just shook his head. “You want my help cleaning or not?”
I groaned when I thought about scrubbing this place from top to bottom, even as small as it was. “Yes.”
“Then be a little nicer.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “Help me strip the bed.”
Caden’s brows furrowed.
“Possible cooties in the vicinity. The sheets must be sanitized.”
Caden laughed but moved to the mattress and started pulling the comforter back. We worked in tandem and surprisingly well. Caden didn’t make fun of me when I asked him to wipe down every touchable surface with alcohol wipes or when I burned incense around my room to clear the air.
I wiped down everything in the bathroom twice and then headed back to the living room, only to pull up short. Caden had his sleeves rolled up and a mop in hand. He systematically worked it from one end of the living room to the other, his drool-worthy forearms flexing with every swish.
He looked up, his gaze locking with mine. “What?”
I forced a smirk to my lips, hoping it would cover any lust in my eyes. “Never thought Caden Shaw would be helping me scrub my house.”
“Gigi, I’m full of surprises.”
That was exactly what I was worried about.
10
GRAE
Caden needed to leave.Right now. One more minute of him with those freaking rolled-up sleeves, putting up with my germaphobe self, cleaning my whole house from floor to ceiling, and being all sweet and understanding, and I was going to jump him.
“I think that’s everything,” I said, trying not to meet his gaze. Because those hazel eyes were just as lethal as the forearms. I needed to start finding things about him that I hated—and quickly.
“You going to be okay here by yourself?”
That low, rumbly voice forced my gaze up to Caden’s. “I’ve lived alone for a long time.”
“But not after a break-in.”
“We don’t even know if it was a break-in. Maybe I forgot to lock my door, and the wind blew it open.” All these lies were going to send me straight to the fiery pits.
Caden frowned. “I hope to hell you lock your door every day.”
I grabbed hold of the surging flicker of annoyance at his words. “I’m not an idiot. I don’t choosenotto lock my doors. But everyone can be forgetful sometimes.”
“Not about stuff like this they can’t.”
My back teeth ground together. “I already promised I’d be more careful from now on. I’m going to lock my doors and set the alarm. Do you need me to take a blood oath or something?”
“Always so dramatic,” Caden grumbled.
“Not dramatic. Human. But you always seem to think I should be perfect. Newsflash, Caden, no one is. Not even you.”
