Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,36

contracted as he grunted and reached higher under the sink, metal clanging against metal.

Is there anything sexier than a man fixing something? I don’t think so.

He peered out at the sound of the door closing and smiled when his eyes found me. “Hey, you.”

I leaned against the kitchen island, my eyes tired from lack of sleep but hungry for him, nonetheless. “Hey. Did you all of a sudden acquire a thirst for being a handyman?”

“I’ve got skills you’ve never seen,” he said with a wink, then turned his attention back to the sink. “I’ve also got a rare day off from practice. I figured we could move the twins’ room around if you’re up to it.”

I couldn’t deny the thought had crossed my mind. They deserved their own space, and I could use a little more privacy, come to think of it. We’d shared a room since they were brought home from the hospital.

“Your mom is bringing them by in a while. Maybe we could surprise them.”

He looked back at me, surprise lining his face, which was quickly chased by wariness. “Really? I didn’t think you’d agree with me so easily. I expected more of a fight.”

“Maybe I could use some more privacy,” I teased.

That made him choke a little. “Well, alright then,” he answered.

Much as I wanted to drag him naked to my bed, or anywhere, I knew the girls would be back soon, and if we were going to get their stuff moved to my parent’s room, we had a lot of work to do. Maybe this was the friend part of friends with benefits. He had no other excuse for wanting to help me all the time the way he did.

In the end, we managed to clear out my mom and dad’s room. I packed away their things into boxes I’d nabbed from the grocery store. Tripp and I lugged their bed and dresser to the dump. Both had an oily residue and smelled strongly of cigarettes. It occurred to me that their carpets were probably cigarette soaked, too, so I moved my things into my parents’ room instead of moving the twins into the room.

I was used to the smell of smoke anyway, and my lungs weren’t nearly as sensitive as theirs.

Most of my stuff I stacked on my bed until I could reorganize it later. The most important thing was to make sure the girls’ room was straightened and pretty. I wanted them to feel secure and at home. They’d had enough change, and I wanted to give them something that would make them happy.

Tripp maneuvered their bunk beds onto the wall where my bed had been. I brought in a bookcase from the living room and gave it a good scrubbing before filling it with their little things and books. In the end, it wasn’t half bad, I had to admit. Eventually, I would like to get them more decorations and knick-knacks to really make it their own, but for now, this was more than they’d ever had, and it felt good. Really good.

Mine, on the other hand, was a bit more run-down. Years of smoke had stained the once cream-colored walls and ceiling. The floor was worn bare from overuse, but it was spacious without the girls’ furniture, and the door was solid. It was mine. It was warm. I couldn’t ask for much more.

I turned to Tripp, who was securing my dresser. “How can I repay you?”

I expected him to joke, but his eyes heated. “I can think of a few ways.”

Chapter Fourteen

Tripp

Weeks had passed, and we had fallen into a routine. One I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy for my own selfish reasons. I’d been waiting a long time for Ember Stevens, and I was going to enjoy every single second while she was mine.

Even if it was only for a little while.

She didn’t want the twins more involved than they already were, so on the nights I stayed over, I’d get up extra early to sneak out before they woke up. There was never any PDA around them, and I made sure to keep Ember as quiet as possible. I didn’t mind that part, though. Her muffled little screams were what made it all worth it. Her ex was a grade-A dipshit for giving her up.

His loss, my gain.

He never seemed like the bright sort anyway.

“Don’t go,” she whispered in the dark one frosty November morning, causing me to pause with my shirt halfway on. Her words stroked down my