“Elle? Everything okay? I thought I heard water running.”
My jaw clenches so hard I’m surprised my teeth don’t crack. Before I can intervene, Elle has opened the door, and Caleb’s voice grows clearer.
“Well, hello there. You’re looking... refreshed.”
I can practically hear the smirk in his voice, the barely concealed innuendo. My hands tighten on the wrench until my knuckles turn white.
“Adrian’s fixing my faucet,” Elle explains, her voice admirably professional despite the circumstances.
“Is he now?” Caleb sounds amused. “And how’s that going?”
Before she can answer, a particularly aggressive spray of water hits me directly in the face. I make a sound that is decidedly not dignified, and water splashes onto the floor.
“It sounds like it’s going splendidly,” Caleb says, his voice now closer to the bathroom door. “Mind if I take a look?”
“Yes,” I snap, at the exact moment Elle says, “If you think you can help.”
Caleb appears in the doorway, taking in the scene with undisguised delight—me, soaking wet, kneeling in a puddle, surrounded by disassembled faucet parts. His grin widens to shit-eating proportions.
“Wow, Cole. You’ve really got this under control.”
I resist the urge to throw the wrench at his head. “It’s a non-standard fixture,” I say through gritted teeth. “I’m consulting a manual.”
“A manual,” he repeats, eyes dancing with mirth. “Very methodical. Very you.” He rolls up his sleeves, revealing tanned forearms. “Mind if I try the direct approach?”
Before I can protest, he shoulders past me and grabs the pipe directly, giving it a forceful twist. The spray of water instantly doubles, hitting us both.
“Fuck!” Caleb jumps back, water dripping from his perfect hair. “That’s not right.”
“No shit,” I mutter, a small, petty part of me enjoying his failure.
Elle appears behind him, eyes widening at the growing puddle on her bathroom floor. “Should I call maintenance now?”
“No,” Caleb and I say in unison, then glare at each other.
“I’ve got this,” I insist.
“You clearly don’t,” Caleb counters. “Let me try again.”
“Your ‘try’ just made it worse,” I point out.
“At least I’m doing something besides watching YouTube, Professor.”
We’re interrupted by another knock, and Miles’s deep voice cuts through our bickering. “What’s happening in here? There’s water seeping under the door.”
Perfect. Now all three Alphas are crammed into Elle’s personal space. This is exactly the opposite of what she needs right now.
Elle sighs, the sound heavy with exasperation. “My faucet is leaking. Adrian tried to fix it. Caleb tried to help. Now there’s water everywhere.”
Miles appears in the doorway, taking in the scene with his usual unreadable expression. His eyes move from the disassembled faucet to the puddle to Caleb and me, both now thoroughly soaked.
“Move,” he says simply.
There’s something in his tone that makes us both step back without argument. Miles kneels, examining the fixture with methodical precision. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small multi-tool.
“You carry that with you?” I can’t help asking.
“Always be prepared,” he replies without looking up.
