Nova thought about it for a second. “A few days?”
“Maybe a week,” he said. “Give it time. Give me time.”
Nova was silent once more as she mulled it over. Finally, she said, “Okay. A week.” She lifted a hand to his chest. “But you have to tell me if you need space or if I’m getting on your nerves.”
“Have I ever given you the impression I’m anything but blunt?”
She had to laugh. “No.”
“Then, you know I will.” He gave her hips a little shake. “Will you do the same?”
“Definitely,” she agreed.
“Good. It’s settled. Let’s go take a shower and then I’ll help you bring some of your stuff over here.”
Nerves skittered in Nova’s belly, making the omelet feel like lead weight. “Okay.”
But she discovered during their shower that Torin had plans to thoroughly wash her, including the most interesting parts. By the time she caught her breath, those nerves were a distant memory.
ChapterNineteen
Torin quickly discovered that things moved at a glacial pace when it came to insurance claims, scheduling repair work, and having to pick out new flooring and baseboards.
He also found out that the two weeks estimate on repairs of Nova’s apartment were going to be more like four to six weeks. The management company had just called him.
Not that he minded the wait.
He was in love with Nova. This would be an excellent opportunity to convince her that she loved him, too.
Every morning, they got up together and had coffee. Sometimes he made breakfast, sometimes she did. Most of the time, they ended up eating from the same plate as they had that first morning.
He didn’t change her work schedule except to make sure they always had one day off together.
They went to work together and it was the same as it had been before. If you disregarded the fact that they often snuck off to his office or the cooler to make out.
So far, their intention to keep their relationship quiet was working.
“Who was that?” Nova asked, interrupting his thoughts as she walked down the stairs from his sleeping loft.
“The management company. The repairs are going to take four to six weeks. The crew can’t get to it for two weeks and then it will take them a while to get everything done.”
She nodded as she walked to the kitchen island, wearing a slouchy t-shirt, baggy shorts, and she was barefoot.
Torin had noticed over the last few days that she liked to change out of her work clothes as soon as she walked into the apartment. If it had been a particularly busy day, she would take a quick shower to “wash the day off.”
Whatever that meant.
He liked seeing her in his place like this. She looked at home.
The t-shirt slid off one shoulder and he didn’t see a bra strap on her shoulder. That was another thing he liked about having her here. As soon as she was home for the night, the bra disappeared, which meant easy access.
“That long, huh?” she asked, derailing the lascivious turn his thoughts had taken.
“Yep.”
She was quiet as she slid her hip onto a bar stool. “Is that okay with you?”
“Absolutely,” he answered honestly.
