Auggie
Sun glistens over the sweat on Leon's barrel chest and I swear I'm swept up in one of those dreamy movie tracks where porny music plays overhead as the hot man pours water over his bulging muscles.
The slight crunch of the plastic water bottle in my hand gives me an idea.
"Hey, babe?"
Leon looks up from where he's cutting through a long, rigid piece of hardwood. Kinda like the one in my pants.
"Head's up!"
I throw the water bottle his way, fully intending to have smutty daydreams over my man upending it over his head and shaking out that gray-speckled hair of his. Unfortunately, the light toss turned into a bullet and with Leon holding a saw and the plank of wood, he doesn't get his hands up in time.
The almost full bottle smashes into his nose. I watch on in sheer, boner-deflating horror, while blood spurts from his nostrils as he staggers back, and the wood slips from his grip, unbalances, and drops in terrifying slow motion before landing on his foot.
A wheeze-like smothered groan comes from him as his face goes red. And not from the blood. Though, I assume, internal blood is the reason, but I'm no doctor. I don't need to be in order to know that he must be in a hell of a lot of pain.
And I'm just standing here staring.
"Auggie," he grits out through the pain and the fountain being dispelled from his nose. "Get the thing. Off my foot."
It sounds more like ge ba bing off ma boot, but I've gotten good at interpreting someone being Auggied.
I haul the hunk of wood from Leon's foot and steer him over to a bucket that takes me two attempts to turn upside down properly. Then I help him sit. And somehow manage not to miss what we're aiming for.
Leon pinches his nose and tilts his head back.
"Don't do that!"
"Wha'?"
"Here." I guide him to lean forward, then pull off my shirt and stuff it up under the flow.
"Pretty sure I'm supposed to lean back," he says.
"Well, you're wrong." I don't know why he's wrong, but he is. I'm assuming it's so the blood doesn't go to the brain or start leaking out of the eyeballs or something. "Just hold onto it for five minutes and don't forget to breathe."
He shoots me a sarcastic "thanks for that" look, but I see his chest rise under a deep breath.
A few moments later, he pulls my t-shirt away and I duck my head to check he's all clear. He's a mess, sure, but the bleeding looks like it's stopped.
I sigh and run a hand through his hair.
"I'm so sorry."
His eyes are amused even if I don't feel it. "Let's make a deal that you don't get to throw things anymore."
I quickly nod. "Promise."
"And if you want something, you'll use words. Not actions."
I pout and lower myself to straddle his lap. "I thought you liked being woken by a nudge at the back door."
Finally his smile splits the bloody lower half of his face. "That action is always approved."
His nose is slightly swollen and there's light bruising swelling from it. "I think I gave you two black eyes."
"Makes sense. You never do things by halves."
"I only got one foot though."
He cringes in pain. "We could argue that one was my fault. Probably should have been wearing my steel cap boots. And had a better hold."
"True. But in your defense you weren't expecting airborne beverages."
"Also my fault. With you around I should be expecting anything."
That doesn't make me feel any better. I lean forward to set my forehead on his bare shoulder. "I'm a mess."
"You keep life interesting. And I love you exactly the way you are."
"Let's see if you're still saying that in a few minutes when I try to get up off your lap, inevitably trip, and drop an anvil on your head."
"Considering I haven't seen an anvil in about twenty years, if you can do that, I'll be impressed."
"Or dead."
"Eh." Leon shrugs. "Isn't that the risk we take every day?"
I look up again. "With anvils? I doubt it."
He laughs and goes to kiss me before remembering he's covered in blood. And maybe boogers. Who knows?
I run my fingers through his chest hair. "I only wanted you to do that sexy porny thing where you pour water over your head."
"At work?"
"I'm not picky on the location."
My eyes flick up to meet his. "You know ... you're giving sexy twenty-ten era vampire vibes right now."
"Didn't those vampires sparkle?"
I shake my head. "The Vampire Diaries ones. Not Twilight. Though they were hot too."
"Uh-huh."
I bring out my sexy tone. "Ohh Mr Vampire man. Don't bite me."
All I'm met with is a blank look.
"This is where you're supposed to go for my neck," I say through a sigh.
"Looking like this?"
"Yes."
"You'll get messy."
"I got you all messy, it's only fair."
Leon chuckles and the sound of it brings back some of those horny feelings from before. "We're working."
"And we've done that. So hard. I think it's time for a break. We deserve a break. A longgg, haaard break."
Apparently, instead of finding that sexy, this time he bursts with laughter. "While I love where your head is at, my foot aches like hell, and I doubt Roo and Tanner would be thrilled to get home and find us banging on their back porch."
"We can be fast."
"You're not giving me a lot of credit here, Killer."
"Urg. Fine." I rock my hips in his lap. "I'll save this for when we get home."
"Deal. I promise to take very good care of him then."
There are many, many great things about my future one-day husband, but sex is right up there on my favs list.
Slutty, horny sex. Slow, sweet sex. Sex where I end up covered in bruises by the end of it. It doesn't matter what type, because they all have one thing in common. How much he wants me. And the "want" part is the most important, because it means he's choosing me to be in his life.
I card my fingers through his hair, feeling all soft and squishy inside. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being my safe person. For never making me feel like a fuck up, even though admittedly, I've given you plenty of reasons too."
"Yeah, but you've given me even more reasons than that to think you're the sweetest, kindest, sexiest man I've ever met."
I press the back of my hand to my forehead. "Swoon. Dead. I've died. Just dig a hole and toss me in it."
"You're an idiot."
I give him my brightest smile and manage to climb off his lap without face-planting in the dirt. then I hold out a hand and tug him up beside me. "You okay?"
Leon tests his foot, and while it's clear it's still sore, he nods. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Because while we both might be used to me being a walking hazard, it doesn't mean I don't feel guilty as hell for hurting him. I'm supposed to be protecting and loving my big bear of a man, not sending him to the hospital every few weeks.
He takes a tentative step, testing his weight on his foot. "Bit sore, but nothing I can't handle."
The breath I was holding seeps out of me like a balloon deflating. Thank fuck for that.
Leon heads for the outside tap to clean up while I set the wood back up properly on the work station he has set up. This time there will be no projectiles.
"Hey, Auggie?"
I turn toward where Leon is standing, face cleared of blood and as soon as we lock eyes, he smirks.
Then, he flicks the tap back on, ducks down and lets the facet pour over his head. I watch, jaw somewhere around my ass as he straightens, shaking water droplets from his wet hair, rivulets cascading down his neck and chest, while Pony plays on blast in my mind.
The tap suddenly cuts off, jarring the track, and bringing my brain back online.
Then the fucker winks at me. "On second thought, my foot is really sore. Maybe we should call it a day."
"Agree, but one quick thing first."
He looks me over. "Oh, yeah?"
I hold up my phone. "One more time, please?"
Leon grins and the sound of running water has suddenly become my new favorite thing.