Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
I t took almost a week for him to finish sanding the floors so he could finally try out the paint gun.
In that time, Parker and Palmer’s crews had replaced all the windows in the house, including installing very large French doors off the dining room and in the master bedroom.
He would start demo on the back deck once the inside was a little more comfortable to live in.
Faye had been by each evening after she got off work to help him pick paint, tile, and other necessities.
She had helped him pick colors to use in each room of the house for now, including a soft beige color for the main rooms that was neutral and classy.
She’d promised to spend the next two days, which she had off work, helping him paint.
Since he was spending a lot of time working on the house, he’d given her the manager position and put her in charge of scheduling the rest of the crew in his absence.
The soft rumble of a car pulling up had Nate glancing out the front window just in time to see Faye climbing out of her car dressed in leggings, work boots, and a T-shirt that had clearly seen its fair share of washes.
Her hair was pulled back in a high bun, and she carried a couple of coffee cups and a bakery box.
He opened the front door before she could knock. “You’re early.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, walking past him when he motioned for her to enter. “I was too excited to get started today. Besides, I’m used to waking up early, remember?”
“Right,” he said, taking a coffee cup she held out for him. “If you’re that pumped to work, I just may let you paint every room in the house.”
She grinned. “That’s the idea. But first, sugar and coffee.” She motioned to the pastries.
They sat on the folding chairs and ate while going over the day’s game plan.
When they were all filled up on sugar, he showed her how to use the paint sprayer.
When he was sure that she had the basics down, he stood back and watched her start on the far wall of the living room.
“Got it?”
She nodded, biting her lower lip in concentration. “Slow and steady strokes. Keep the same distance. Don’t hover too long.” She repeated his instructions.
“Perfect,” he said after she made a few swipes.
“I could definitely get used to this,” she said, smoothing the light mist of paint across the first wall. “It’s really fun.”
“Fun isn’t the word I would use,” Nate admitted as he stood behind her, arms crossed over his chest, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
She glanced over her shoulder. “So you’ll let me paint the whole house?”
He shrugged with a smirk. “If you want, it’s all yours. Everything is taped off and ready for you to go at it. You know which colors go in which rooms. Let me know when you need the painter refilled or the color switched out.”
She nodded and waved her free hand without even looking back at him.
Once she was moving confidently, he slipped out through the back door. Since she was busy inside, he figured he could spend the time she was saving him to demo the back deck.
An hour later, he was dripping in sweat, covered in dust, and had a few new splinters. She opened the back door and caught his attention.
“Ready for a refill?” he asked, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Yeah,” she said, nodding slowly as her eyes ran up and down his bare chest.
He was too sweaty and hot to do anything more than flex slightly, which had her laughing and him smiling.
God, he loved the sound of it. The way her entire body shook as she laughed was intoxicating.
While he poured more paint from the heavy five-gallon tub into the sprayer for her, she walked over to the cooler and pulled out a couple of sodas. She handed him one when he was done.
He sat down and ran the cold can across his forehead.
“I guess it’s official, summer is in full swing.” He sighed after he took the first sip.
When she didn’t respond, he glanced over at her. She was frowning at him, watching his every move. “What?” He instantly worried that something was wrong. God, did he have dirt on his face?
“You look like a commercial.”
He blinked a few times. “What?”
She smiled slowly. “You know, the one with the hot construction workers, with the office full of women watching them out the windows.”
He thought about it, remembered the commercial, then doubled over laughing. “I bet I smell much worse than any of them did,” he said with a grin.
She turned back to the wall, clearly trying to hide the flush on her cheeks, and Nate couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face.
He let the laughter fade as he slowly stretched his arms above his head, the muscles in his back and shoulders aching in that good, solid kind of way that came from real work.
“Well, back at it, I suppose.” He took the last sip of his drink as she stood and walked back to the sprayer. “It’s looking good.” He motioned to the living room walls that she’d already finished. She was halfway through the dining room already as well.
“Thanks. It’s super addictive and fun.” She started the machine again. “Like a video game.” Her eyes locked with his.
He chuckled at that and shook his head. “Have fun,” he said as he stepped back outside, his heart pounding from the sexy look she’d given him.
That kiss the other day had knocked his socks off. Since then, he’d been dreaming of kissing her again. The little looks she’d just given him had those dreams surfacing again.
What he needed to do was work off his horniness. Sweat it out of his system.
Demolishing the deck took up most of his morning. Now he was ready for the real work to begin.
Unlike the front porch, he had every intention of finishing the back deck in the coming few days. He’d had stacks of wood delivered, along with the cement for the footings.
This was something he knew a lot about. Building decks.
He spent the next few hours digging and setting the new posts for the support beams. He cut the joists, and started laying the frame out along the edge of the house where his new French doors sat.
It was slow work in this heat but very satisfying.
He stopped a few more times to fill the paint sprayer and down as much water as he could.
Faye had been inside nearly the whole time, only appearing now and then with fresh water or to check his progress. He’d tried not to hover, just gave her space. And she was killing it. He could see the transformation each time he stepped inside.
She had finished four rooms of the house so far. The spray painter had been working almost non-stop since they’d finished lunch, which had been delivered from the Golden Oar.
After lunch, he returned to the deck, and the next couple of hours passed in steady rhythm—the whirl of his drill, the quiet hum of the paint gun from inside, and the occasional breeze that swept off the ocean and cooled the sweat on his skin.
When he stepped back from the skeleton of the new deck that ran the entire width of the house, he wiped his forehead with the edge of his T-shirt and let out a breath of satisfaction.
Still rough, still missing planks, the stairs that would lead to the backyard, and the railings—but the bones was there.
Solid. Just like he wanted. He was about to head inside to check on her progress when her voice stopped him.
“You didn’t deny it, by the way.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Deny what?”
“That you look like one of those construction worker commercials,” she said with a lightness in her tone, but he caught the flicker of humor in her expression.
The look she was giving him stirred something warm in his chest.
He smirked. “Why would I deny it if it gets me compliments and keeps you working for free?”
She snorted from the doorway where she’d obviously been watching him for a while. “I’m working for free because I’ve always dreamed of painting a house.” She tilted her head. “But I have to admit, the view isn’t half bad.”
“You don’t look so bad either.” He motioned toward her, and she laughed as she looked down at her paint-splattered attire.
“I really like the splattered look you have going for you.” She had speckles of paint on her cheeks from where the mask and goggles hadn’t protected her face.
Her clothes were covered in the four different colors she’d used that day.
She did a little twirl as she laughed. One minute, they were laughing and enjoying the light humor, the next she was holding her head and pitching forward. Thankfully, he was only a step away and easily caught her before she fell into the space where his deck should have been.
“Hey,” he said, easily lifting her in his arms and setting her down on one of the wide beams. “Faye?” He said her name several times.
When he knew she wasn’t going to fall over, he rushed off and grabbed one of the water bottles from the cooler and held it for her.
Her eyes were closed and she was taking deep breaths while he stood there like a freaking statue, unsure what was going on.
It seemed like forever before she finally straightened up and opened her eyes slowly. When she saw the water bottle he was holding for her, she took it and swallowed a big gulp.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“What was that?” he asked gently as he shoved his hands into his jeans, afraid that she’d see his hands shaking.
“My implant has slight feedback sometimes,” she said slowly. “I’m told some people take a while to adjust, but I was hoping…”
“That looked to be a great deal more than just slight. You’re as white as a ghost.” His eyes ran over her face and noticed that her eyes were glued to his mouth.
Could she hear him now? Was she back to reading lips?
Why was she tolerating the pain? How much was she really in?
He figured that keeping her blood pressure low would help keep the pain away.
“I pushed you too hard today,” he said when she didn’t reply.
“No.” She started to move her head but then stilled. “No, really, I enjoyed it.”
He thought about how he could keep her from working tomorrow, but she interrupted his thoughts.
“Don’t you dare sideline me,” she warned, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Honest, I’m fine. I’ve been dealing with this for a while now.”
“Right.” He was one-hundred-percent sure that she was currently reading his lips and frowned. “How bad is it?” he signed to her.
She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. “It’s worth the pain,” she responded in sign language. “My hearing will come back as soon as the buzzing stops.” Her eyes landed on his. He could see stubbornness behind the pain there. “To be able to hear, it’s worth it,” she said clearly.
He couldn’t imagine a silent world. Not hearing everything around him.
“Faye,” he started, but she shook her head and stood up.
“See, all better now.” She turned away and easily jumped up into the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Now, come check my work.” She held out a hand for him.
He wanted to talk to her more, but he could tell she wasn’t in the mood. Later, he told himself.
“Sure,” he said. He took her hand and climbed up into the doorway.
They headed inside and he paused in the entryway, struck by how different it all looked now.
The smell of paint was overwhelming, though, and he would have to sleep with all the windows open for at least one night.
Still, the walls were clean and bright. The soft beige undertones in the living room, kitchen, and dining room would make the hardwood floors pop.
The master bedroom had a hint of blue to it while the other two bedrooms were a soft gray, almost white.
Once the light could pour in through the new windows, it would bounce off the freshly painted surfaces, giving the whole place a glowing warmth.
It was going to be perfect.
Faye stood in the middle of the kitchen, her hair frizzed slightly from humidity and her arms smudged with specks of paint. There was even a smear of it on her collarbone.
The paleness from before was gone, as was the pain behind her eyes. Whatever had happened before, she was over it.
Then she looked up at him and smiled like she belonged right there.
And it hit him in the chest.
Not just the sight of her—but the feelings that she caused in him. He’d never felt anything like it before.
This wasn’t just a house anymore.
Not to him.
This was where they belonged.
He picked up a cleaning rag and slowly lifted it to her cheek. He wiped her cheek softly. “You’ve got paint, right here.”
She held still, her eyes never leaving his as he cleaned her soft skin.
“Faye,” he said as she leaned into him. Before he could say anything else, she was kissing him.
His hands moved into her hair, pulling her closer so he could take what he wanted, what he needed.
She was everything. Soft. Sweet. Sexy.
And he was…
Dirty. Stinky. Sweaty.
“Shit.” He pulled back quickly. “I need a shower.”
She blinked and, after a second pause, laughed. “We both do. Besides, you don’t stink that bad.”
And just like that, his mind went there. Them. Together. Naked. Wet.
A groan escaped his lips as he tried to clear the image from his mind.
“Nate,” she said, taking his hand, “we could…”
He took a deep breath.
“I meant what I said before,” he said, his eyes still closed. “I want more.”
She had stilled and was silent. He opened his eyes again to see her looking down at their joined hands.
“I’ve never been in a real relationship before,” she admitted without looking at him. Then she glanced up at him slowly. “I may screw it up.”
His smile was quick. “I’m willing to take that chance.”
Her eyebrows arched slightly, and she started tugging him toward his bedroom. He stopped her.
“Nope, if we’re going to do this, then we do it right.” He pulled her back into his arms. “Which means, I take you out on a real date. Maybe two or three before…” He nodded to the bedroom.
“But it’s the…”—she mimicked his nod—“that I want now.”
He smiled and placed his lips over hers. “Trust me, we will get there.” He deepened the kiss until he felt her melt against him. “Sooner or later.”
He felt her groan as she playfully shoved at him. “I take it back. You do stink.”
He laughed and realized that if he didn’t let her go now, he might not have the strength to resist carrying her into his small green shower and taking what he wanted.
“Come on, let’s clean up before it gets too dark in here. Then I’ll walk you to your car.” He leaned in and kissed her once more quickly. He needed to feel her lips once more and wanted to dream of her taste.