“I can’t believe how much we’re getting done.” I looked around at the work that never would’ve been done had Brody not walked into my life. Bev always said everything happened for a reason. I didn’t believe her until I looked at the paint that never would’ve gotten on my wall if it weren’t for Brody’s help.

He was only supposed to stay for a few days, but today was day number five. I’d tried to give him the money he’d earned, but he just kept saying not yet. Unfortunately, it was the end of the road for us. I had tons of more work, but I didn’t get paid again until the first of the month. The only money I had left was what I owed him.

“We make a good team.” Brody stretched his back again. He’d never admit sleeping in the truck was killing him, but he refused to sleep in the spare bed upstairs. I wasn’t letting him out of the gym that night. He needed a good night’s rest before he hit the road.

I grabbed the brush he was using and the roller I was using and stacked our trays. I was cleaning both of them out, and he was going to take a hot shower. “Go jump in the shower. I’ll take care of these. Get some hot water on that back.” I watched as he patted his pockets. “Did you plug your phone in?”

“Yeah, but I’m looking for my keys.” He picked up a rag that was on the floor and put it in his back pocket. “Have you seen them?”

“Not since you came in after you made a call after dinner.” It was the truth. He came in, plugged in his phone, and went to work. I took the keys and went to the bathroom to hide them. He always locked his truck. He wasn’t getting back into that cramped space to sleep.

“I’m sure they’ll turn up. Go take a shower.”

“Maybe I left them with the phone.” He followed me out but went into the kitchen when I turned into the women’s restroom.

I smiled, proud of myself that I thought of the perfect plan. He may have only had one more night left with me, but I wanted him to sleep in a bed and get some real rest before he got back out on the road. If he crashed because he fell asleep at the wheel, it would’ve been my fault. It was the last thing I wanted to happen regardless of whose fault it would’ve been.

I set the brush aside after I cleaned it and picked up the roller. The roller was easier to clean, but it was a bitch to get off the handle. I wasn’t so much a girl that I couldn’t stand to get my hands dirty, but something about wrapping my hand around a roller filled with goopy paint was gross.

I smiled when my mind went into the gutter thinking about wrapping my hand around something goopy filled. It’d been a long time since my hand was wrapped around anything. The last time I had the opportunity was with Pencil Dick. It wasn’t really a pencil, but it was smaller.

I looked at the roller in my hand and touched my middle finger to my thumb. I wondered how big Brody was. He was a large man, but it didn’t mean all of him would’ve been large. I licked my lips as I ran my hand down the roller. It surely wouldn’t have been that large, but a woman could dream.

I pulled my hand back up without breaking the hold I had on the roller and ran it back down a few more times. I leaned against the counter as I kept moving my hand. I was sure it was as clean as it was going to get, but I just wanted to feel the motion a couple more times.

I looked into the mirror when arms came around me and covered my hands. My gaze locked with Brody’s. If he were really leaving after that night, what would it hurt to have a fling?

He sped our hands up a little. “Do you like giving rollers hand jobs?”

I couldn’t answer. I leaned into him a little and felt his solid chest behind me. The power he must have had when he drove into his lover. I rubbed my thighs together.

He gripped my hand tighter and pressed his hips into my backside. He was hard. I closed my eyes. He kept his hands on mine as he leaned down and whispered into my ear, “It’s been a long time since you’ve had a real man in your hands, hasn’t it?”

All I could do was nod.

“It’s been even longer since a man has had you in his hands, hasn’t it?”

I could barely whisper, “Yes.”

“Is that what you want tonight? Do you want to feel a real man? Do you want a real man to touch you?”

I groaned and pressed against his erection. “Yes.”

He got even closer to my ear and spoke even softer, “You took my truck keys, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I—” I opened my eyes and looked at his in the reflection. The eyes looking back at me were amused. They weren’t hot as I’d hoped. I shoved my backside into him and pushed him back. “What are you doing?”

“Apparently, I’m turning you on with a paint roller. I have to admit, that’s a new one for me.” He laughed. “Now, about those keys you stole.”

“I didn’t steal any fucking keys.” I turned and threw the wet paint roller at him.

“Come on. You already admitted it.”

“I admitted nothing!” I stormed out and walked down the hall to the stairs.

“You admitted a lot, actually.” He followed me up the stairs. “So, how long has it been since you had a good fuck?”

“Don’t you worry about that. That number isn’t changing tonight.” I walked into the apartment and turned before he could walk in. “Good night. I hope you find your keys.”

I tried to shut the door, but he stopped me and placed his foot in the doorway. “Whoa. Not until you give me my keys back.”

“I guess we’ll be standing here all night then.”

“There’s something else we could do all night.”

I huffed, let go of the door, and walked to the mini fridge I had for drinks. I grabbed a beer and opened it, drinking half the can in one pass. I calmed down a little by the time I finished and realized I was embarrassed for getting caught molesting a paint roller and even more embarrassed that he didn’t want me when I came on to him. I took another drink.

“Hey, slow down. No one is taking it from you.”

“Shut up. If I want to drink it in thirty seconds, I’ll do it. You aren’t my father.”

“No, I’m not. That would be awkward.”

“Yeah, especially since my father is dead.” I drank the rest of the beer. I wasn’t sure why I blurted that out, but I wanted another beer. I opened the refrigerator door, but it slammed shut before I could grab one.

“You don’t need another one.”

“I thought we just agreed that you’re not my dad.”

“We did, but I am your friend.” He stood between the mini fridge and me. “I’m sorry about your father. Was it recent?”

I took a deep breath as the first beer swished around a little too much in my stomach. I placed my fingers to my forehead to try to steady everything. I wasn’t drunk, but that was way too fast to drink anything, but especially foamy beer. “Oh, God.”

“Okay.” He took me by the elbow and led me to the middle of the room. “Where’s your bed?”

I tried to wrench my arm free, but he stopped me from moving. “You’re not taking me to bed now. You missed your chance.”

“I’m sure I did, but you’ll feel better when you lie down. You don’t have a sofa in here to lie on, so you need to go to bed.”

He was right. I needed the movement to stop, and the more we talked, the more the contents of my stomach moved. I pointed into the direction of my room.

“All right, let’s get you tucked in and you’ll feel better in no time.”

“I’m not going to bed.”

“That’s fine, but you need to lie down to settle your stomach. I’m not cleaning that up.”

I nodded and walked with him. The last thing I wanted was to be humiliated a third time by throwing up all over the place. As soon as I saw my bed, I crawled into it. I was never going to drink beer that fast again.

“I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time. Now, where are my keys so I can go to bed?”

“Your bed is in the room behind you.”

“I don’t think I should stay up here.”

“Are you afraid of what people will say? You don’t seem to be the kind of guy to care if someone thinks you’re sleeping with someone.”

“You’re right. I don’t care if people think I’m sleeping with the hottest piece of ass in the city. Let them talk. However, for your peace of mind and that of your friend’s across the street, I’m fine in the truck.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him. “My friend? Are you talking about Bev, or is this a crack about Mona?”

“No, Beverly has made it clear she doesn’t like me and she’s watching me.”

“She’s just protective of her friends. You were going to stiff her the first night you were here.” I sat up and put my palms down on the bed to steady myself. I sat up too quickly and felt as if I reactivated the foam.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just.” I looked at him and forced a smiled. “I’m fine. I have your money if you want to spend the night in a hotel instead, but I want you to get a good night’s rest before you take off. No driving when you’re as tired as you are. It isn’t safe for you or the other people on the road.”

“You’re right, but I’m not leaving yet.”

“What? You said you could only stay a few days, and today, well, it’s past day three.”

“Yeah, but we still have three floors to put in. And, I haven’t even seen the other side of the strip yet. What are you doing over there?”

“That would be great, but I don’t have the stuff to do all three floors.”

“So, we’ll go tomorrow and pick it up.”

“Well, I don’t get paid again for ten days. All I have left is what I’m paying you.”

He waved his hand as if dismissing the idea. “We’ll use that and you can pay me later. We can do smaller jobs with that money and get the flooring in ten days. That is, if you’ll have enough to cover the flooring, and if you still want my help.”

“I would love the help, but on one condition.”

He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway. “What’s that?”

“You sleep in the other bed.” I lay back and raised my voice. “I’m tired of hearing you groan every time your back hurts.”

I thought he would’ve argued with me a little more, but watching me lie in the bed was probably too much for his back to take. I heard my door close and propped myself up on my elbows to listen if he would actually go across the hall or if he’d leave.

I smiled when I heard the door shut across the hall. “It worked.”