B0161IZ63U (A) by Trevion Burns Read Free Book Online Page A

Calvin’s, and the neat beginnings of hair that peeked out from above them.
    Lila forced her eyes away.
    Belt off, Chase held his hands out, which only served in putting his body on display even more.
    “God forbid I get a little more comfortable while I put your house back together.”  He tossed the belt on the counter next to his shirt.  “No wonder you got this place at a bargain.  No air conditioner, no lights in the main room, hardly any plumbing.  On what planet did you think this house was ready for a damn party?”
    “The bulk of the party is going to be in the backyard.  The guest toilet works fine, and there’s running water in the laundry closet. The house looks good on the outside.  The only way anyone would know how much work it needs is by looking very closely.”
    “Yeah, well.  You can’t live like this.”
    “I was working on getting it fixed.”
    “I’m fixing it for you.”  Chase motioned to himself.  “And if I need to get naked to finish the job, then you need to find a way to bite your tongue, shut your mouth, and don’t even think about opening it again unless it’s to say, ‘thank you for putting my house back together, Chase.’”
    Lila sputtered, shaking her head as she fought a losing battle against her smile.
    She knew she wasn’t angry with Chase for taking his clothes off.  In a few short hours, he’d kick-started her car engine, fixed her water heater, resuscitated her air conditioner, brought dead electrical outlets back to life, and was in the process of tackling her shoddy kitchen plumbing.  All in jeans and a t-shirt. Of course he needed to get more comfortable. The truth was, he had spent the last few hours putting her house back together.  For free.  Thousands of dollars of damage reversed, all with his skilled hands.  His brilliant mind.
    No, she wasn’t mad at Chase for getting half naked.
    She was mad at herself for having to force her eyes away.
    Scoffing, Chase tugged his gold necklace over his head, as well.  The locket nearly tumbled from between his fingers, dangling down into the cool air.
    Lila jumped up from her seat in the dining room, adjusting her short silk robe before moving into the kitchen and taking the necklace.  She knew what it meant to him.
    He allowed her to take it, holding her eyes.
    “I’ll hold it,” she said.
    His eyes fell to her lips and stayed there.
    Before she could think to stop them, her eyes did the same to his.
    They both breathed in deeply.
    Lila turned away, unable to allow the moment, whatever it was, to stretch on for a second longer.
    It couldn’t.
    Chase watched her go, waiting until she’d sat back down at the table to open the cabinet door under the sink.  He sat down on the kitchen floor, positioning his body next to the open cabinet. Just as he was fixing to pull himself under the sink, he froze, watching her carefully lay his necklace across the dining room table. While she was distracted, he allowed his eyes to move along that short scrap of silk she called a robe.  One side was falling off her shoulder, showing the delicate curve of her collarbone, and the subtle beginnings of her breast.  His eyes fell more, savoring every inch of her. For what had to be the millionth time, in a secret corner of his mind reserved only for her, he lingered on the dark expanse between her legs, visible in the open slit of her robe.  He could faintly see beyond the dark shadow the robe made at her pussy.  He knew heaven lived there, waiting beneath those flaps, giving him just enough of a view to jumpstart his senses into overdrive.  She crossed her legs, oblivious to his stare, hiding the sweet shadow from view, but he’d already seen enough.
    It was Chase’s turn to be mad.  At her, or himself, he wasn’t sure.
    He slammed a hand onto the sink over his head, arm flexed as he guided his body underneath.
    Lila sighed in relief when those heated eyes disappeared under the sink. She finally allowed herself to