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She dropped her bag on the table by the front door and slowly made her way through the living room and toward the kitchen. The scent of coffee, ever-present, drew her in and she was already looking forward to her afternoon cup as she geared up for some evening painting. When she stepped to the kitchen doorway, she caught a glimpse of familiar tawny skin and dark ink and almost walked right into the doorframe.

Aiden stood in the kitchen, shirtless again, with a drill in his hand. For a full mortifying heartbeat, Janae forgot how to breathe. Beyond the curly-haired Adonis standing in the middle of the room, the kitchen was transformed into a brighter, cleaner version, more gorgeous than her wildest dreams. The butter-yellow cabinet doors, she knew, were the same as before, but now they looked practically brand-new in the afternoon light filtering through the window. She must have made some sort of noise, because Aiden jerked before whirling around, holding the drill like a weapon. When he saw it was her, he smiled wide and bright.

“Janae. Welcome home.”

His words made something in her chest clench, and she took another step into the kitchen. The floor was mostly clear of the mess that had been there that morning and the new refrigerator was finally plugged in and in its place against the wall. The countertops, a quartz slab that had caught Janae’s eye months ago, gleamed, now free from clutter.

“I hope I didn’t scare you with this,” Aiden said, holding up the drill.

“You didn’t,” she said quickly as her face heated. “I just wasn’t expecting . . . this.”

He looked down at himself and then gave a sheepish grin. “I didn’t have a clean shirt, and I wasn’t expecting you to be home for another hour or so, otherwise I would have gotten fully dressed.”

“It’s fine,” she replied as she tried to keep her gaze trained on his and not on the ink on his skin that led to some gorgeously kissable-looking nipples. “You . . . made a lot of progress it seems.”

Aiden smiled and then nodded as he looked around. “I did, yeah.” His voice sounded almost subdued before he looked back at her. “The cabinet doors were dry so I went ahead and started hanging them. I figured once you got home, you might want to unpack those boxes in the dining room that are labeled for the kitchen.”

Janae stepped closer, fingers brushing over the countertop. “This place looks amazing. I truly can’t believe how much you managed to get done in just a week.”

Aiden lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “I wanted to get the kitchen done for you at least. You mentioned not being able to cook like you used to, so . . .” He trailed off, and Janae had to clench her fists against the need to kiss him.

She looked around for something to save her from her own impulses and noticed one cabinet door still sitting on the floor. She tilted her head and gestured toward it. “What about that one? Doesn’t it need to be put back on too?”

Aiden smiled and nodded. “It does, but in honor of it being the last thing, I wanted to let you do the honors.”

Janae jerked her gaze up. “What? Me?”

“Of course,” he said, as if that should have been obvious. When he held the drill out to her, Janae took a step back and put her hands up.

“I don’t know if you should trust me with that. What if I break it?”

Aiden’s chuckle was warm, and his smile showcased those damn dimples that had started appearing in her dreams. When he walked over to her, she told herself to back up, but her legs didn’t seem to want to follow her directions. Instead, she stared, watching him approach until they were only inches apart. He reached out, taking her hand and lifting it.

“If you find a way to break the drill, then I’ll just bill you for it,” he said with a grin. “But I’m really not worried about that. Unless you drop it, I’m pretty confident that you’ll be fine.”

“But . . .” Janae protested as Aiden gently herded her to the final cabinet. “What if I hurt the wood?” She stared at it when she was plopped in front of the counter. When Aiden walked back into her line of sight and crouched down, her mouth went dry, unable to stop staring at him.

“If you manage to damage the counter, then I’ll just fix it again,” Aiden replied, as if the answer were obvious. He lifted the cabinet, fiddling with the hinges before holding out the screw to her. “Seriously, Janae. Trust me.”

Something about the way he said that had her heart racing. She crouched down beside him, taking the screw in her other hand. They were close now, closer than they had been since that morning outside the bathroom. Janae could smell the scent of him, musky and a little acidic with sweat. It wasn’t a bad fragrance, but one that was quickly becoming familiar and comforting. She had never been one to really care about colognes or perfumes, but now she understood how someone could grow addicted to them.

“Just go slow and line it up.” Aiden’s soft words refocused her and she held the screw up, placing it in the circle that he gestured to. “Good. You did that perfectly. Now, you can ease on the button to start it up, to make the initial hole.”

“What if I make the hole wrong?” Janae insisted. Aiden had done such an amazing job with things, and she didn’t want to be the reason the work fell flat. “I really think maybe you should do it.”

Aiden chuckled as he shook his head and leaned even closer. “You got this. Here, just hold it like this.” When his fingers slid over hers, holding the screw in place, it took everything in her not to gasp. She hadn’t been this close to a man in years, and certainly not one she might have had more than just friendly feelings for. “Now, press.”

When she did, she jerked at the sound of the drill. It sounded louder than it should have, and if not for Aiden’s grip on her fingers, she might have dropped the screw completely.

“There you go,” he said, voice still gentle like he was calming a frightened foal. “You made the hole and it looks beautiful. Just press harder and let the drill do the work for you.”

“How do I know when to stop?” Janae asked, her own voice soft to match his. Their gazes met and she swore all the air was sucked out of the room. This close, the dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose was even more noticeable.

“When you feel resistance, and it seems like the screw doesn’t want to turn anymore, then you know to stop.”

She nodded and forced herself to look back at the screw and not into Aiden’s eyes. “Okay. When it resists, stop. Got it.”

Janae swallowed hard before pressing the button again. The screw turned, and when it jerked to a stop, she let go.