Chapter Three
SEE JOE CHECK LEXIE’S HOLES
Joe stifled the grin that threatened. The disheveled woman standing before him was stressed out, but she was also cute. Super cute.
He’d no idea what had reduced Lexie to her current state, but she looked adorable. Although he hadn’t dated all that many women in his twenty-nine years, the ones he had would make it seem like he preferred high-maintenance beauties, but now Joe wanted nothing to do with women who were afraid to get their hands dirty. He’d never believed he had a type, but now he unequivocally did—untidy, flustered, and charming in the form of one sexy librarian. A woman he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind since meeting her earlier.
And here she was standing before him. He’d planned to return to the library the next day to ask her out, and Joe couldn’t believe his good fortune.
She hugged the thin fabric tighter with one hand, which drew his attention to her sexy legs, stretching strong and slender beneath the short robe. And her cute feet tucked into tiny slippers.
She patted anxiously at her head with her other hand. It made Joe want to step forward and pull off the rubber band that held her thick brown hair captive. He wanted to see it frame her face in all its unruly magnificence.
She shuddered again.
“Lexie, you must be cold. Let’s step inside.” He gestured for her to retreat back inside.
She gave him a grateful smile that warmed his insides in contrast to the cool night air.
“Thank you for coming out on a Friday night,” she said, stepping farther outside rather than inviting him in.
It was wrong of him, but Joe couldn’t resist. Her kissing him out of the blue had blown his mind and left him at half-mast for hours. Now the more she blushed, the more he wanted to push her buttons. So, he did what he shouldn’t.
Deepening his voice to a suggestive pitch, he said, “Lexie, I’d like nothing more than to plug all your holes, wherever they need it the most.”
Lexie gasped and blushed redder. Joe saw it even in the dim glow of the porch light.
“I…I…I…” she stuttered.
Joe took pity on her. He regretted his wicked behavior, and not just because he’d made her more uncomfortable, but because it made him realize how much he really did want to plug her holes.
“Why don’t you show me what’s going on,” he offered.
“Oh, yes. Follow me, and I’ll show you. It’s terrible. Water is flooding my basement and running down the outside of the house as well.”
Lexie started walking around the house. Joe left his tool kit on the ground and followed, trying not to notice how the night breeze fluttered the bottom of her thin cotton robe. If it blew a little higher, he’d see her underwear.
Is your ass bare to the night air, Lexie Librarian?
His gaze darted down, remembering how good she’d looked earlier in her tight jeans when she bent over to look at the computer.
Lexie reached back and held down the flimsy hem as the breeze increased. Yep. Joe would bet his best screwdriver that she was buck-naked under there. She’d be as firm and hot and pert as those pretty legs of hers, he was sure of it. He grinned and said, “Sure wish the wind would pick up.”
“What?” Lexie glanced over her shoulder.
“It’ll cool the air, among other things.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Now both her hands held her robe in place.
Hurrying to catch up, Joe felt a tad guilty. She’s all alone out here. And she needs my help. He needed to get his mind out of her panties, or lack of them, and focus on saving her house from further ruin.
But then when she turned to face him, her robe pulled tight against her front, Joe saw that the cold had done what he’d teased about earlier at the library. Her peaked nipples were visible, pressing against the thin cotton in the light of the full moon. He stared, unable to drag his gaze away, his blood flooding south faster than a dick could shoot its wad into a warm pussy.
Lexie saw where he looked and threw an arm across her bosom.
Joe yanked his gaze upward. Her brown eyes were full-on deer-in-the-headlights huge. And glazed over. She gasped again, and Joe looked away.
Shit! He’d embarrassed her.
He returned his gaze to the woman standing before him, determined to keep his eyes squarely on her face.
Lexie raised her chin defiantly and squared her shoulders. “It’s there.” She motioned toward the wall with her head, keeping her arms and hands on duty holding her garment in place.
Joe heard a very clear gushing sound that a moment before hadn’t existed, at least not when he’d been thinking with his dick. How had he missed the loud sound in the quiet night?
Turning his head, he saw the water and sprang into action, ordering Lexie to show him all around the house and retrieving his tool kit on the way.
Forty-five minutes later, Joe had found the main water valve and shut it off and done a preliminary assessment as well. There would be some water damage, but not too much.
“Thank you so much for coming out here tonight, Joe.”
Lexie looked exhausted and, having toured the house, Joe understood why. It appeared that she was trying to refurbish the entire place on her own after working full days at the library. That took a lot of spunk, and he was impressed.
“I’m sorry I can’t get the water working for you tonight, but I can come out first thing tomorrow, if you want.”
“I…um. Your receptionist said it costs extra to come out on weekends. I think I can manage without water until Monday.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’d rather find out sooner what’s going on. There might be an underground leak, which would be bad.”
“Oh.” Lexie blanched. “That’s terrible.” She looked ready to cry.
“It’s probably not that, but I just want to make sure. Again, don’t worry about the cost. I’ll waive the surcharge, and I always work on Saturday mornings anyway. So, if it’s all right with you, I’ll come out after my first job’s finished.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, and it punched him in the chest. Tired as she was, Lexie glowed, her smile turning her from cute to downright beautiful.
Joe smiled back, a beaming grin he couldn’t seem to contain. “It’s no problem. We aim to please at Seabees Plumbing.”
He tilted a nonexistent hat at her and bowed before turning away to walk to his truck, stifling the unexpected urge to do a little hop and skip.