He tilted his head to the side with a quizzical brow.“You invited me over.”
“Sorry.I completely forgot about the invitation.There’s a lot going on this morning.”
“I can leave.”
“Don’t you dare.”
When he backed up for me to open the door, I noticed my strappy heels dangling from his fingers.
He jerked his chin toward the boxes on the porch.“What’s all that?”
“Groceries.”
His gaze fixed on the oxygen tanks.“Do you scuba dive?”
I reached down and grabbed them.“Can you help me?”
After setting the canisters down in the living room, I returned to the porch and brought in the last box.
Lucian set down two boxes and then did a slow turn in my kitchen.He sniffed the air.“Do you have company?”
“My roommate.”
His eyes slid down to my grey tank top, cotton shorts, and bare feet.Nobody ever saw me this underdressed, and it made me self-conscious enough to fold my arms since I wasn’t wearing a bra.
“It’s hot today” was all I could summon.
“Yeah.”He pinched the front of his black tank top.“Hot.”The low crew neck and tight fabric revealed hard muscle on a svelte body.
Tension crackled in the air.
I glanced at a box he’d set on the counter.“That one needs to go in the living room.”
When he lifted it, I stole a glance at the sinewy muscles in his arms and the way he glided through the room instead of lumbering.He set the cleaning supplies and paint can by the oxygen tanks.
I lifted the paint can by the curved handle and moved it to the front door.“The trim outside needs a fresh coat.I plan to do that later.”
“Why don’t you hire someone?”
“Because I can do it myself.Hard work is good for the soul.”
He joined me in the kitchen and leaned against the counter.“You work a lot.”
“So do you.I always see you on your phone.”
I noticed my heels on top of one of the boxes Lucian had carried in.After grabbing them, I walked to the door and bent over to set them down.When I turned around, he immediately cast his attention to the ceiling.I thought perhaps he’d noticed a spider, but I didn’t see anything crawling about.
“How old is this place?”he asked.
“It was constructed in the 1970s.They built houses to last in those days.It’s a little outdated, but I’m working on the upgrades.”
He brushed his hand over the smooth granite countertop while admiring the new stainless-steel appliances and cabinetry.“Like the kitchen.Looks good.”
Lucian swiftly went from admiring my house to inspecting it.He examined the window, squinted at the vents, and walked down the hall before stopping at the elevator.
He knocked on the wood.“What’s this?”
“An elevator to the basement.Fully renovated.That was my big project, so now it’s time to work on the rest of the house.”Maybe now was an opportune time to voice a concern about my situation.“Mr.Cross, do you think it’s possible to secure this house so nobody can break in?”
