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I join Barrett at the table, squishing right against him. Standing next to him like this makes me feel small and protectedat the same time. He keeps talking, but I don’t miss the slight flare of his nostrils.
Sometimes Greer asks a clarifying question, but it’s obvious that Barrett is the one in charge of this project. He’s issuing all the commands and telling Greer what everyone should be doing.
It’s making me squirmy to see him so bossy. I want to push him to the brink. I want to watch one night as he loses his control while he’s deep inside of me, panting above me, whispering filthy things into my ear.
So slowly that he doesn’t notice, I slip my hand beneath his red t-shirt. I hesitate for only a second before I place my hand on the bare skin of his back. He’s warm and tight here, his muscles instantly tensing under my touch.
He grips the table tightly and issues his final command to his brother, “Anything else you need, come find me.”
Greer and Evie leave to begin their assigned tasks, and I drop my hand from under his shirt. I give him an innocent smile. “How can I help?”
“You’ll be with me.” He bends to rummage in his tool bag and pulls out a pair of work gloves and passes them to me. “First rule of the work site is that you protect yourself.”
Without waiting for me, he takes my hands and slips the gloves on. They’re too big, but it makes me feel warm inside to know he cares so much.
After that, he reaches into the bag again and produces a big red tool. He pops open the back and nods to the bag. “Grab the nail cartridge.”
I peek inside, quickly grabbing the long row of nails that I’m assuming passes for the nail cartridge.
He slides it into the machine easily, showing me how it snaps into place. He keeps leaning close, invading my space. His spicy smell is making my brain go haywire. All I want to do is rub myself up and down his body.
“I want a turn with the nailer,” I tell him.
“It’s important you understand the proper technique for nailing first,” he answers, his voice deep and raspy.
I give him a flirty smile. “Teach me everything you know.”
We step onto the work area where Barrett’s brothers have already begun the framing. The sound of air compressors, hammers, and good-natured teasing fill the air as his family works together. Their close bond is evident in the way they work around each other seamlessly, passing tools around and answering questions that Evie’s younger brothers ask.
Barrett demonstrates how to use the nail gun twice before passing the heavy tool to me. He stands behind me, using the opportunity to wrap his body around mine. He puts my gloved hands around the trigger. “What you want to do is hold it firmly and squeeze with just the right amount of pressure.”
His beard is resting against my cheek, his big body engulfing mine in heat. Can girls get blue ovaries the same way guys get blue balls? I think mine are definitely blue. “Then the release happens?”
His voice sounds just as breathy as mine does when he says, “Yeah, sweetheart. That’s exactly what happens.”
I squeeze my eyes closed and pull back on the trigger, my arms quaking from the effort of holding it still. The nail shoots into the yellow pine wood with ease and I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see that it’s exactly where it should be. “I did it! I used the nail gun!”
He’s still wrapped around me and when he smiles, I feel his beard tickle my face. “That’s my good girl.”
We work together like that for the next hour until my arms are too sore and too wobbly to keep going. I’m used to working hard in the bakery every day, but the power tools are a different kind of workout.
Barrett plucks the heavy tool from my hands with ease. “Let me finish up here. Your friends have shown up.”
I leave him with the framing nailer and hurry to greet Lizzy and Dotty who just arrived. Lizzy bypasses my hug and runs to Noah, flinging herself into his arms and peppering his face with kisses. He’s the only one of the Maple brothers that doesn’t have a big, bushy beard like the others do.
“Ugh, they’re in love. We get it,” Dotty complains with a hitch in her voice that sounds a lot like longing.
“I’m happy for her,” I answer, twisting the cap off a water bottle. When I go to lift it, my arm shakes. I manage to guzzle it anyway. I could blame my mushy muscles and sweaty appearance on the hard work, but it had more to do with being held in Barrett’s arms for most of the morning while he growled safety instructions into my ear.
Dotty plucks at the unraveled hem of her t-shirt, avoiding my gaze. “I’m happy for her too. Just wish it could happen for the rest of us, you know?”
I don’t answer because I don’t know what to say. Like me, Dotty is alone in the world. She has family, but she never sees them. They never call to check on her. She always shrugs and tells me it doesn’t matter.
Dotty nods to where Barrett is back to work already. “What’s going on? You two looked pretty cozy when I saw you together.”
I sigh, my blue lady balls aching, “He won’t give up theD. Something about my heart.” I shake my head. My heart isn’t what I want him to fill. “All I need is a few goodOs from him, and everything will be fine.”
Chapter 7
