“You need to learn to take care of yourself. Do you have any idea how easy it would be to break into this apartment?”
“How are you getting into the building?” she asked. “I didn’t buzz you in.”
“That thing doesn’t work.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, and then stared at him. “What? No, that’s insane. I type in my code all the time. It has to work.”
“It doesn’t. I didn’t need to be buzzedin. See why having your apartment bolted is a good thing?”
She thought about going to the landlord, butthe truth was he creeped her out. It was why she always paid her rent on time. The way he looked at her—or better yet, leered at her—she made sure to never be alone with him. Some women came out of his apartment, looking a little … well, it didn’t take a genius to know what they were doing.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked.
Ruin was already on his knees, opening the bolts and getting them installed. He worked fast.
“A coffee would be good.”
She nodded and quickly made her escape.
Ruin was in her apartment. He was installing bolts to keep people out, but he was still inside her apartment. This was normal. Having a guy in her space was totally normal.
She filled her kettle and put it on to boil. She only had four mugs in her home. One was for everyday use, she also had a Halloween mug, as well as one for Christmas. The spare mug had never been used. Callie had purchased it as a “just in case.” How pitiful of her to have a mug that had never been used. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she added some instant coffee to the mug. She never had sugar, and only took some milk.
“Do you wantsugar?” she asked, calling out to him.
“No, thanks. Just some milk.”
She nodded and waited for the kettle to boil before adding the milk. She gave his drink a stir, and then carried it out to him.
He’d removed his jacket.He wore a pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt that seemed to stretch across the expanse of his back. The sight of him alone made her mouth water. This was bad. She noticed some ink on his body. It wasn’t quite clear as the white shirt hid it from view, but it was there. She wanted to see what he looked like without the shirt on.
“I have your coffee.”
Ruin stopped what he was doing and turned to her.He took the drink, had several swigs of coffee, and handed it back to her. She stood, a little awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
Calliewatched him work. She had purchased four bolts for her door and had every intention of installing them, especially since she hated her creepy landlord, but they were on her list of jobs to do.
Ruin kept stopping to sip his coffee. She couldn’t help but admire his hands and his muscles. Through the stretch of the shirt, she saw them flex as he moved. Callie had never admired a man’s physical form, but with Ruin, it was so hard not to do so. She didn’t want to, but he was right there working on her door. Last night she felt his arms wrapped around her, touching her ass, the closeness of his body. She wanted to feel him again.
Chapter Four
It didn’t takeRuin long to get the bolts installed. He’d put the screwdrivers in his car and all the equipment he’d needed to get her apartment safe, not that a few bolts would truly protect her, but it was a start. Once he finished, he checked to make sure they all worked, and was happy with it. He stood up, picked up the empty bags, and turned toward her. She had gone and made him a second cup of coffee and she held it for him.
“You didn’t need to do that.”
Ruin took the coffee from her and placed the empty bags in her hands.She left and he followed her to the kitchen. She tossed the bags into a trash bin. He also spotted she had a recycle bin as well.
“You couldn’t install them, and what kind of a gentleman would I be if I left you here at risk?”
She frowned. “I’ve been living here for years and I’ve been fine.”
“Luck runs out, Callie.”
Her lips opened andclosed. He wanted them around his cock, sucking him in deep.
“Oh, er, how much do I owe you for the tools?”
He put the coffee on the counter and stepped toward her. She moved back and he got in close so that he stood right in front of her. “How about a kiss?”