No matter what was really happening in his life, Mr. Snowden was kind and polite to everyone, as if he had a superpower to draw the best out of people. His strong character was the primary reason I hired him to repair my home. At least that was what I told myself.
“I can come back.” He pointed to his truck.
“No. It’s okay. You came all this way, and I didn’t cancel in enough time for you to do another job.”
“Okay, Ms. Starks.”
“You’re not one of my students. Please, call me Ruby.” I fiddled with my cool necklace again.
Mr. Snowden rubbed his hands together and smiled.
“Okay, Ruby. Then call me Amari.”
Warmth overtook me like the spiked hot chocolate I drank earlier.
“Amari.” I repeated his name as if it were a thick, sweet treat that pleased me.
When his eyes crinkled in amusement, I felt as if he could see through me and my housecoat. His look wasn’t creepy, justintense. I tried to close my robe tighter at my chest, but the low V of the neckline couldn’t be raised. I’d have to be okay with Amari possibly catching peeks of my cleavage and bra as he stood over me.
We stared at each other for several more seconds before I remembered my manners and stepped inside, gesturing to the area behind me.
“Please, come in. The meteorologist said the storm might be coming sooner than expected, so if you’re okay working on the most pressing things, I’d appreciate it.”
Amari nodded and took another quick peek at my body. That pleased the part of me that missed male attention.
“No problem. I’ll hook you up.”
Before Amari entered, he wiped his heavy work boots on the sturdy outdoor rug. Once he was inside, I closed the door and leaned against it to support my body, which shivered from a combination of the weather and Amari’s overwhelming presence. As he bent his tall body and untied his brown snow boots, I caught a whiff of a musky scent that had me wanting to lift his shirt to my nose and hold it there. After he placed his boots neatly on the mat next to the door, he wiggled his toes through his thick wool socks, which covered his big feet.
“I’ll take your coat and scarf.”
He removed his outerwear and gave it to me. As I hung them on two big hangers by the door, his intoxicating scent entered my nostrils again.
Dang. What is he? A pheromone?
Instead of watching me, Amari scanned my home and rubbed his hands together rapidly to warm them up.
“It feels good in here.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled behind slightly guarded eyes that gently awakened my emotions and hinted of an unspoken story I wanted to hear.
I wasn’t used to being exposed by anyone, yet Amari Snowden hovered over me like a gentle giant with a magnetic smile and athletic build. Everything about him reminded me how much of a great workout physical labor was.
I related to him even more now, seeing his commitment to following through on a job to fix my home in bad weather. Maybe a divine power sent him to speak a word that would “fix” some element of me, much like the broken items on my repair list.
Amari’s eyes roamed across my home and landed in the kitchen.
“It smells good in here too. Did I interrupt dinner?”
I walked toward my stove and waved him back.
“I was just about to eat some chili. Are you hungry?”
He licked his lips and rubbed his stomach.
“I could eat.”
