“Do you mind if I bring my tablet? I probably should go through a few work things.”
“As long as you don’t mind me doing the same,” he said with a laugh. “Maybe we let ourselves do that for half an hour and then relax?”
“Oh the joys of being self-employed. What do you mean you’re supposed to take some time off?” I teased.
He slid his palm over my cheek and kissed me softly. I moaned into him, wanting more, and told myself that I needed to stop. I just needed to breathe.
“Come on, if we don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you right at the edge of this bed, and then we’re never going to get up.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I teased.
“Minx,” he growled before he bit my lip, a little harsher than usual, and kissed the sting away.
I pressed my thighs together, wondering exactly why that had been so damn hot.
I let him take my hand and lead me downstairs to the family room, where Brooks had set up a large couch and TV.
“Have I ever told you how much I love the furniture that you’ve chosen for this house?”
“What’s funny is that I never used to be good at that,” he said as we sank down onto the cushions, wine in hand. As well as our tablets.
“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering what Brooks wasn’t good at. It was a little annoying sometimes.
“When I first built the company, my job was to design the homes, but really, just do whatever jobs I could get. Whether it was carpentry, electric work, and even plumbing. I was certified in all of that and was trying to be the jack of all trades. In the end, though, I needed somebody to help me narrow it down and figure out exactly what I wanted. Instead of working seven days a week for fourteen-hour days, wondering why I had no life. I mean, I can put in an entire new bathroom in two days, except for the glass and any extra design work, but I couldn’t actually make it a home.”
“Amara. That was Amara’s job, right?” I asked, wondering why I even had to say her name. Why bring up ghosts in a space that was already tentative. But that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to Brooks, me, or Amara.
He smiled then, and it was such a soft smile that it was like a kick in the gut. Not because I was jealous. But because of the fact that she wasn’t here anymore. This woman had loved Brooks, and he had loved her. She must have been amazing.
“She pretty much organized me. I didn’t want to work for other people constantly and fall behind. Or be on too many jobs, so they ended up like shit, or be forced to cut corners. So I found good guys, trained them, and made sure that they were certified. But Amara was the one who kept us in line, and learned how to fit a space. She was better at picking the tile or other silicates we used, even the fixtures.” He rolled his eyes. “I would do my best at figuring out what bathroom fixture would look the best for a bathroom, and then she would come by and point to something, and I realized that I was going down the wrong direction.”
“Really? I can’t picture you not knowing what you want.”
“We both know that I sometimes tell myself what I want, and then I ignore what I really want,” he whispered before we both smiled softly, and he continued.
“I know how to decorate a place now, maybe not with the right linens or extra touches, but I know how to set a stage because of her. And she knew how to change a light switch without electrocuting herself.”
“That I cannot do,” I teased.
“I can teach you. If you want. It’s always good to be able to do a few things on your own, but it’s also good to find a handyman who can do it for you.”
“I guess it’s good that if you’re not sleeping next to me, you’re right next door.”
“That is true,” he said with a laugh.
“But yes, I did an okay job with the furniture in here, and I think I’m learning a little bit more with each home.”
“How many homes do you own?” I asked as I leaned against the back of the couch.
“Seven,” he said quietly.
I nearly choked on my wine. “Seven?”
“Well, I’ve built eight on this piece of land, and while it’s not a full neighborhood, eventually it’s going to be, and then I’ll have to deal with the laws on that. I’m not going to want to own all of the homes at that point.”
“Are you going to make an HOA?”
“Please, don’t even mention that phrase in this house.”
