my hands on my hips. “Okay, I’ll think of something.”
“Why don’t you ask the hottie who came with you the first day if he knows someone?” she suggested.
I laughed. “Hottie?”
“Oh, please, girl. I have a boyfriend, but I can still admire a fine specimen when I see one. And Ian is more than fine.”
“I agree,” I replied with a blush.
“Are you two friends with benefits or something? It’s none of my business, but I feel like we need some sort of code. I’m over at my boyfriend’s place a lot, but I don’t want to accidentally come home when you two are all over each other.”
“No, no. We’re just friends.” Yes, Ellie, and don’t you forget it, my inner voice screamed at me. I sighed, quickly changing the topic. “I’ll just clean up the mess I made and think about a solution.”
I felt myself blush even more as the image of a naked Ian wreaked havoc on my senses. How would it feel to have that hot, hard body moving against mine?
I had nothing to compare it with because I was a virgin. Yep! At twenty-three, I still had my V-card. I honestly had no idea how that happened. I’d dated in college, but I’d never wanted to have sex unless I knew the guy for some time, and none of my relationships lasted long enough. And after graduation, dating became even more difficult. One guy even broke up with me when I told him I was a virgin, claiming it was too much work. I’d felt so small.
I wasn’t a prude, though. I had a battery-operated friend that I used on my clit (I didn’t want to lose my V-card to a rubber penis), and I was very proficient with my fingers.
Shaking my head, I looked at my room, thinking about how to clean this place up. No more sexy thoughts about Ian. Henry said he was a player, and my brother wasn’t a liar. The last thing Ian would want would be to get involved with a virgin.
I vacuumed the floor first before wiping the windowsill with a wet cloth. Then I lay down on the bed and scrolled through Craigslist myself, hoping my roomie overlooked someone. Harper was right. The prices were astronomical. Just as I was getting discouraged, I wondered if Ian knew a handyman who had better rates. I called him quickly, before I could talk myself out of it.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” he said instead of hello. My whole body lit up at his husky, rich voice.
“Hey!”
“Did you change your mind about dinner?”
“No, I’m spent, especially after trying to mount a curtain rod and failing. Harper looked on Craigslist, but a handyman is expensive. Do you know one that can maybe give me a friendship price?” I asked hopefully.
Ian replied quickly, "I'll do it."
I blinked. "Really? You want to spend an evening drilling?"
"I want to spend the evening with you."
I brought a hand to my belly, grinning. Was this flirty tone his idea of starting over with a clean slate?
“Thanks, Ian. When do you have time this week?”
“I’m always free in the evening.”
“I’m impressed. When you went to a meeting on Sunday, I thought you might be a workaholic.”
“Nah, some meetings are unavoidable. I accommodate clients if they only have time in the evening or the weekends, but it’s the exception, not the rule. I don’t want to let work take over my life, and I’m in a position where I can make my schedule.”
“That’s a very cool philosophy.”
“I just like making the most of my free time. I usually hang out with Dylan or my sisters. I’m a third wheel lately, but they pretend I’m not.”
I liked how close the Gallaghers were. It made me miss my brother even more.
“I’m yours whenever you want me.”
I laughed nervously. Did he purposefully work an innuendo into every other sentence, or was this just the way he spoke?
“Let’s do Wednesday. I finish my shift at 6:00 p.m. and can be home in half an hour.”
“Or I can stop by your restaurant, and we can walk together.”
Ah, more time to spend with this sexy man who proposed we start with a clean slate but somehow set me on edge with every word he spoke. What could go wrong? Possibly everything, but I just couldn’t say no.
“Okay. I love walking. Besides, it will give you a chance to prove just how good your guiding skills are, handsome.”
Wow, what was I doing? Was that me flirting?
“Handsome?” he asked