I glanced back at the shower. It seemed to be holding at the moment, not going up or down. I took a couple of steps closerto the shower and wrinkled my nose. Please tell me that wasn’t sewage. It didn’t smell like it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t. Oh God.
I darted back into the bedroom, grabbed my phone, and called the only person I could think of.
“Ash. Hey, it’s Natalie. Um, I have a little problem.”
“What’s up?”
“Um, my shower is…well, it seems to be alive.”
“What do you mean, alive?”
“I don’t know. It’s bubbling and sputtering and absolutely disgusting.”
A deep, masculine sigh sounded on the other end of the line. “I’m on my way.”
“Thanks.”
“Yep.” The line went dead.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God Ash was coming. He’d know how to fix this. My shoulders dropped, my hands hit my bare thighs and I jolted. I was naked. Not exactly the best way to greet a guy for helping me fix my shower.
Well, I mean, maybe it was.
No, I shook my head. Definitely not. I glanced around. My old clothes were still in the bathroom, but the idea of putting them back on was gross. I scooped a pair of baggy sweats out of my bag and put them on, not bothering with underwear. Grabbing a double-lined, cropped yoga tank with good nipple coverage, I threw it on and called it a day.
Dressed, I popped back into the bathroom. The shower lip was holding the line. The shower coughed, and dirty water shot straight up into the air. I stepped closer to see if that was enough to dislodge something free, but apparently not. What the hell was down there?
At the sound of tires on the gravel, I made my way to the front of the cabin and pulled open the door. Relief flooded me when Isaw Ash hopping out of his truck. He reached into the truck bed and grabbed a toolbox. The muscles in his shoulders and arms bulged as he brought the box around comfortably.
He pulled up short as he looked at me. His gaze lingered on my bare midriff, and his jaw clenched. I glanced down at myself. Was that a good clench? A bad clench?
I shifted uncomfortably and moved from one foot to the other. He wouldn’t be the first guy to find my body off-putting. I closed my eyes. God, I hoped he wasn’t one of them.
“You changed,” Ash said.
“Well, yeah, it was either this or answer the door naked. So, you’re welcome,” I joked.
His jaw clenched again as his gaze dropped to my chest. He cleared his throat. “Appreciate it, that might have been a little distracting.”
A little distracting? Ouch. Naked me was supposed to be a whole lot distracting. “Hey. I know they’re small, but they’re mighty.”
“What?” He blinked at me in confusion.
“My boobs. I know they’re small, but they’re still boobs.”
“Trust me, I’m very aware,” he mumbled.
“Good.” I smiled at him, enjoying the awareness simmering between us. “Now go be all manly and fix my shower, please.”
Ash smirked. “Yes, ma’am.”
My stomach fluttered at the way he looked at me. One part amusement, one part pure masculine predator. Yum.
Focus.
“I was about to have a shower, but it’s not draining.”
“Let’s have a look.” He walked into the bathroom and stopped at the edge of the shower. He crouched down and, without even hesitating, stuck his hand into the brown mess.
