since it wasn’t one-sided. For most of last night, she’d barely felt anything else. After Cameron’s visit, she’d almost broken her most reliable vibrator. And then there was that dream that had come out of nowhere. She would have sworn she hadn’t had time to fall asleep yet, but that was the only way she could explain the most vivid fantasy of her life, with Locke in a starring role.
Even in your dream you were only watching. How sad is that?
“For me?” Buffly repeated. From his smug smile she had a feeling it wasn’t the first time he’d said it.
“And Aaron,” she added awkwardly. “Water for anyone who needs it, really.”
Shut up.
“Grazie.”
“Sure. No problem.” Where had Celeste found this beautiful demigod and how did she know Italian accents were Bailey’s weakness?
He bent to open the cooler and she bit back an appreciative whimper. Ms. Littleton would probably call what she was feeling now “the vapors.”
He twisted the cap off his bottle and took several deep gulps of water, allowing some to escape and splash along his chin and chest. That cleared the haze of arousal enough to make her smile. She could tell it was a practiced move, mostly because she wasn’t an idiot and she watched a healthy amount of porn, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate it. She liked people who worked for what they wanted, and it was effective.
“That’s enough of that, Buffly,” she admonished, a little more breathlessly than she’d intended. “We don’t like wasting water here in the desert, and Celeste isn’t paying you to do an R-rated Evian commercial.”
He choked at her words, almost fumbling the bottle in surprise. So cute.
Please don’t let him be younger than I am.
“Since you’re here, have you been able to find out where that noise was coming from?”
He stared as if he were no longer sure what to make of her. Why? Were most women down for the count after that water move?
“Your roof was a crime scene,” he told her, still looking confused, “and it hasn’t been touched since the seventies, which I’m told is the limit for this type of material. We’ll find out since we’re in the process of replacing it, but based on what you described, I believe there might be another reason.”
Fifty years. Her first thought was that her budget couldn’t afford it, but then she remembered Pikeson no longer had the final say on those decisions. “You think it’s something inside the attic, don’t you?”
Because that was her luck.
“You tell me,” Buffly replied. “I heard you went up there last night.”
Had Locke told Celeste? He must have skipped the part where she didn’t quite get all the way into the attic.
She supposed if she had to make another attempt, it would be a good idea to do it while two strong men who weren’t afraid of heights were within screaming distance. “Almost. Let me go get a ladder from the shed and check it out. On my way up I’ll see if we can’t get a few sandwiches started for you and Aaron to go with that water.”
Bailey was proud of herself for walking around him without ogling or stepping on a rake. She was rounding the side of the inn, pulling off her gloves and psyching herself up for the climb, when she realized he was walking beside her.
She threw him a sidelong look. “Where are you going?”
“Offer me food and I’ll follow you anywhere.” His grin was disarming. “I’m Davide, by the way. Though you can still call me Buffly if you prefer. Here to help.”
Chapter Five
“Well, I’m always happy to meet a helpful man, Davide. You can call me Bailey.”
She couldn’t believe she’d called him Buffly to his face.
“I know all about you, Bailey Wagner.”
“You think you do.” She poked him in the side with her elbow. Wow. No give at all. “Don’t believe everything Celeste tells you. Unless I’m doing Jell-O shots or you mess with one of my friends, I’m usually very nice.”
“Who is Celeste?”
He beat her into the shed and was reaching for the ladder before she had the chance to get to the door. The man had impressive speed and his back muscles were mesmerizing. “Huh?”
“I’ve never met anyone named Celeste. Is she the one you kissed?” He turned and caught her staring, a knowing look in his dark gaze. “See anything you like?”
Of course she saw something she liked, but now she was thoroughly confused. “How would you know that if Celeste wasn’t