Chapter 19
“What the hell happened in here?” Aaron's gaze swept the mess in the bedroom, shock locking him to the top of the staircase.
Celine bolted upright, blinking hard, in the middle of his bed surrounded by clothes and bags and toiletries. “What?”
“Did someone break in while you were napping?” He took a step and faltered. His bedroom had been turned into a war zone for dirty towels and clothes. The perfect order demolished.
Her pale blond eyebrows dipped down. “No.”
“So some little elves stole into the bedroom and destroyed it?” His grip tightened on the banister.
“Are you feeling okay? Did you hit yourself in the head with the ax or something?”
Aaron just shook his head and bent down to pick up one of his new pairs of shorts discarded on the floor. He dangled it from his fingers. “These were clean an hour ago.”
Celine scooted to the end of the bed and sat up on her knees. Damn if she wasn't sexy sitting there in that t-shirt.
“They still are clean, at least if you don't touch them too much with your dirty hands.”
“They've been on the floor.” Yeah, he was picky about his shit, this was his home.
His domain. Overseas, when they were in the suck, he didn't have the luxury of being clean or neat, he had to live out of a duffel bag in the desert half the time with just a tent for shelter, and that was if he was lucky.
But not here.
“Is your floor dirty?”
Aaron fisted the shorts. “Only from us walking on it.”
“What’s the problem then?” Celine smirked and dropped down to the side, the plastic department store bags crinkling beneath her. The position made her shirt ride up, her hips more curvaceous as the pink shorts molded to her fine ass.
Aaron threw his shorts on the bed right next to her arm. He waved a hand, gesturing to the absolute chaos. “This is the problem.”
“Looks fine to me.” She shrugged and picked up a pair of boxers, twirling them around her finger.
She'd lost her mind. That was the only answer. He couldn't argue with her. Focus. “I need to take a shower. Why don't you go downstairs? I unpacked the food already if you want a snack.”
She rose from the bed, rolling her hip like a siren and strolled across the room. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.” And then she blew him a kiss, leaving him to stare after her in shock.
He shook his head and turned back to his room.
Her towel lay on the floor in a heap by the sink, toothbrush and toothpaste crammed behind the faucet knobs.
A wash cloth hung over the edge of the tub, water dripping onto the floor.
Everywhere he looked, his domain had been disturbed.
Aaron took a deep breath and counted to ten.
He'd never seen anything like it, not even Beth, his younger sister, who'd gotten in trouble her whole life for not cleaning her room, could touch Celine Latimer.
He wouldn't be able to think straight until the mayhem was righted, but he couldn't touch their clean clothes with dirt covering most of his body.
Aaron carefully picked through the piles on the bed and located his body wash and boxer briefs and then got in the shower.
He had to lay down some house rules, just like they did in the barracks.
Each man had his own job, she just needed a little direction.
Finally clean, Aaron pulled on a pair of gym shorts and faced the challenge.
He attacked the dirty clothes first, throwing them in the wicker basket next to the shower.
Next he folded the clothes, separating them into T-shirts and shorts and underwear.
As he sorted them, he kicked something under the end of the bed and he bent down to pull out a discarded bag.
A quick look inside revealed the travel blow dryer and straightener still in their packages, along with multiple makeup items the girl at the counter had helped him pick out.
Celine must've completely missed this in her attempt to destroy his room.
Deciding they might come in handy later, he put the items up in the vanity and then finished cleaning the room. Then, he could put in that call to Mr. K, check in with Merc, and change Celine's bandage. After that, he had no idea.